This War of Mine: A New World
by ThatWrestlingFanWrites
Summary: Almost a year has passed since the United States fell into another Civil War. Can Sasha Banks make it through this new world? Will she make it to the Safe Zone within Stamford, Connecticut or will she just be another statistic in this unnecessary war?
1. Chapter 1

_January 26, 2025_

 _Today is my 25th birthday! I don't think Seth even knows. He's just treating it like any normal day. About as normal as our days can be at least. We managed to talk some guys at some motel to into trading us medicine for a few cans of soup. It's enough to get us to at least the end of February if we keep it to half a can each every other day... I'm starving. I can barely remember what it's like to have warm food that wasn't heated up by a wood fire in a shelled gas station. I'm not even sure what part of Pennsylvania we're in anymore. Seth says Pittsburgh but I saw a road sign for Lancaster before we stopped here. I don't know. It's fine. Considering how things could be, I won't complain. God, why did I take Starbucks for granted? I'd kill for a cup of coffee right now. Just to have a warm meal that isn't tomato soup would be a dream. Maybe if we make it to Stamford. Seth says there's a huge safe zone just inside the city limits. I wonder if anyone else from back home made it? Seth says it's not likely, but I need to stay positive. For both of us._

 _Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks_

* * *

 **DAY 208**

Sasha dropped her lucky pen inside her worn purple spiral notebook and closed its cover. It was almost morning and she had just woken up, but she felt like she had been walking for days. She had been, in reality, and the miles traveled was now starting to take its toll on her. Sasha inspected her beat up Adidas sneakers; The toll was taking more out of her shoes than Sasha herself from the looks of it.

A light flickered in the corner of Sasha's eye. "Aha, got it," Said her travel companion, Seth.

Seth once again successfully got a fire started. Sasha wondered if it was a bad idea to start a fire so close to the main highway. But Seth insisted they'd be ok as long as they were alert. It wasn't likely that a convoy would roll this far outside of town, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

They happened upon this ruined gas station after close to a day of walking. It still had some parts of the roof and walls still intact, but it was only temporary. Keep moving: That's what Seth always said.

"Good job," Sasha praised with a small smile.

Seth jumped to his feet. "Thanks, Sasha. Thing took longer than usual, but I think that's 'cause the wood was a little damp still."

"As long as I get my share of soup," Sasha joked lightly.

Seth shuffled over to where Sasha had made herself a makeshift work station.

"You updating your journal?" Seth asked as he knelt beside the purple haired woman.

Sasha nodded her head. "I have to. I'll forget the date if I stop. And someone needs to remember what day it is if things ever go back to normal."

Seth chuckled dryly. "Yeah, that'll happen," He stood up and moved back to the fire. "Once we decide fighting each other over such a stupid fucking issue is dumb."

Almost a year prior, the United States split into two groups: Pro-life and pro-choice. The country divided itself practically in half, though this time it wasn't North and South. It was the People's Union of the United States, pro-choice, and the United Republic of Patriotism, pro-life. Tensions rose, the government fell to riots, and the country found itself once again in Civil War.

"What were you," Sasha asked. "Before everything fell apart?"

Seth sighed. "Pro-choice. But that changed when I watched my neighbor gun down three pro-life teenagers. They surrendered to him too. He let his personal beliefs overtake him and he... Took a life that wasn't his to take."

Sasha let the faintest hint of a smirk show on her lips. "You see the irony of that, right?" She asked.

Seth chuckled. "Shut up and come get some dinner, ok? We can't have this fire on for too long."

* * *

The soup was lackluster, as it always was. Sasha didn't complain about the food though. She knew it was pure luck to find anything these days. It never really settled in that one day there will be a last can of soup in the country. So, for now at least, she was perfectly ok with half cooked tomato soup and a bottle of water.

"Your hair's starting to turn brown again." Seth said.

It took a moment for Sasha to break away from her inner thoughts. When she did, she chuckled under her breath and tugged on her brownish-purple locks.

"I haven't put dye in it in months," Sasha explained. "Once you stop, it starts going back to its regular color. My normal hair is fine, but I never really liked the color."

"I like it," Seth said. "From what I can see now anyway."

Sasha shrugged her shoulders. "It looks fine. I just haven't had brown hair in a long time."

"Shit, I almost forgot," Seth pulled his backpack towards himself. "I hope you didn't think I forgot your birthday was today. I found something you might like."

Sasha smiled broadly. "You remembered? Seth, I don't know what to say..."

Seth handed a baseball cap to Sasha. "It's not much," He said. "But I thought of you when I saw it."

Sasha traced her fingers over the large 'B' on the front of the hat. "Boston Red Sox..." Sasha whispered.

"Yeah, you mentioned you're from Boston. So I thought you could use it to remember where you came from." Seth said.

On the verge of tears, Sasha set the cap on her head. She smiled; It fit perfectly.

"You like it?" Seth asked.

Sasha, not wanting to talk to give away her tears, nodded her head.

"Good," Seth turned his head towards the front of the store. "It's almost dark out. We can't keep the fire going much longer. I hope your coat is still keeping you warm."

Sasha wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her winter coat. "Yeah..." She sniffed. "I freakin' hate snow now."

Seth chuckled. "Well, after we get some rest we can get on the road again. I know it sucks, but we'll be in Stamford soon."

Sasha nodded her head. "Yeah, maybe I can finally take a shower."

"You and me both, sister." Seth joked.

* * *

Seth didn't mind having to share a sleeping bag to stay warm. He just hated not having any wiggle room if he needed to adjust. Sasha snored too. Not loudly, but it kept him up some nights.

Seth cursed himself for not killing the fire before going to bed. It was keeping them warmer, but it was too risky for his liking. But he gave in to Sasha's begging and let the fire burn longer than he would've liked. Her ability to get her way most of the time made him wish he just left her when he found her scavenging. But he knew it wasn't right to leave a woman to fend for herself. Especially when the country was in hell.

Seth's eyes began to finally close after hours of trying to sleep. But just as he was about to doze off, the faint sound of snow crunching under shoes came to his senses. Seth sat up, waking Sasha in the process.

"What's wrong..."

Seth pressed his index fingers to his lips.

More crunching.

Seth slipped silently out of the sleeping bag. "Don't. Move." He whispered to Sasha.

Tiptoeing across the room, Seth reached for his backpack. He gradually unzipped his pack and drew the handgun he carried with at all times. He slid the clip in, clicked the safety off, and cocked the pistol, just as the front door bell sounded, signaling someone just walked through the door.

"DON'T FUCKING MOVE!" Seth ordered to the intruder.

The person's hands shot up immediately.

"Wait, stop, I'm unarmed!" The person said; Judging by the voice, it was a woman.

Seth slowly shuffled closer to the woman. "What do you want?"

"I-I saw your fire from the woods," The woman began. "I would've come sooner, but there was a group of bandits walking down the road. I didn't want them to see me, so I stayed hidden."

"You alone?" Seth demanded.

"Yes, I swear. It's just me." The woman said.

Seth lowered his weapon. He grabbed for the flashlight near his pack and clicked it on. He pointed it at the woman. The woman was young, maybe Sasha's age. Black hair, dark eyes, pink winter coat and blue denim bottoms. The feature that stood out the most to Seth was the woman's hairstyle: A sideways ponytail towards the top of her head.

"What's your name?" Seth asked.

The woman squinted her eyes against Seth's flashlight. "Bayley... I don't want any trouble, ok? I just need help."

"What do you need help with?" Sasha asked.

"I got it covered," Seth said. "You don't need to talk to her."

Sasha, ignoring Seth, approached the woman at the door.

Looking into her eyes, Sasha saw fear. Fear of a woman that had been through a lot, from the looks of it. Usually someone would be defensive about having a gun pointed at their head. But this Bayley had tears spilling down her cheeks.

"What do you need help with?" Sasha asked, feeling sympathy for the woman.

The woman slowly dropped her hands. "Just some people to help. I need water, clothes, a just a place to sleep. I lost track of my group a few days ago, and I have no idea where they are."

"Why should we help you?" Seth asked.

Bayley slid her backpack off her shoulders. "I have food. Lots of it," She unzipped her pack. It was so full of canned goods, that it spilled several containers the moment it opened.

"Holy shit," Sasha muttered.

"Swear," Bayley said.

"What?" Seth asked.

"Sh-she swore," Bayley said. "I don't like swearing. Or this war..."

"Yeah? No one does; Join the club," Seth said coldly.

Sasha rolled her eyes at Seth. "You can stay with us. We're headed for Stamford. I guess there's a big safe zone there."

"Me too," Bayley said. "My group was headed there. But we got separated."

"Or they left you," Seth grumbled.

"Don't listen to him," Sasha told the stranger. "He's angry at the world right now and he's just looking for someone to pick on."

Seth shook his head and walked away.

Bayley chuckled under her breath. "Your boyfriend's a jerk."

Sasha shook her head. "Not my boyfriend. He helped me leave Pittsburgh before the checkpoints went up. We've been on foot since."

"You guys know you're almost in Lancaster, right?" Bayley asked. "Stamford is in the other direction."

Sasha nodded. "Yeah, I know. I was going to tell him in the morning. He'll be pissed, but at least we'll know we're going the right way."

Bayley threw her arms around Sasha's torso. "Thank you so much. You're a kind soul."

"Hugger, huh?" Sasha returned the embrace. "Not much of those left in the world."

"Oh, sorry, where are my manners? What's your name?" Bayley asked.

"Sasha. Captain Ass-Face is Seth. We've been on the road awhile." Sasha briefed.

"Swear. Me too. I don't remember what it's like to have a warm bed... or coffee."

Sasha sighed. "Girl, me neither. But how about we warm you up some food? We have water. I can't really help you with clothes right now."

"No, that's fine," Bayley said. "I mostly need friendly faces more anyway."

Sasha smiled. "Well, you came to the right place, Bayley."

* * *

 **DAY 209**

Sasha and Seth, along with their new travel companion Bayley, set off once again for Stamford. This time, with the help of Bayley's map and compass, they were headed in the right direction.

Seth wasn't too thrilled to learn he and Sasha were heading in the wrong direction this whole time. An argument erupted between him and Sasha when she revealed she knew he was going the wrong way for a long time. Bayley tried to play referee, but stopped when Seth threatened to leave her behind.

The two girls walked a small distance behind Seth. They both silently decided to give him his space. Sasha was furious at the moment too; She knew her temper sometimes got the best of her and the best thing she could do was just let herself simmer.

"I'm sorry I got you yelled at," Bayley said to Sasha.

Sasha shook her head. "You didn't, Bayley. It was mostly my fault. I should've told Seth sooner. I just don't know why I didn't."

"Still." Bayley opined

The trio walked for another hour in silence. The snowy winter, along with their heated feud, made them less willing to hold a conversation. Even with attitudes at an all time low, Bayley still tried talking with Sasha.

"I like your hat," Bayley complimented. "You from Boston?"

"Born and raised," Sasha stated. It was clear, by the tone of her voice, she didn't want to talk.

Bayley nodded her head. "Cool. I'm from San Jose. My husband and I came out here to visit his family... Then the army showed up and took his parents away. We got away with some of his brothers. We've been camping out for most of the fall and winter until we heard about Stamford. Then I lost track of them... And now I'm with you guys."

Sasha relented. It was obvious Bayley wasn't going to give up speaking to her.

"We'll find your husband again," Sasha promised. "Chances are he's looking for you too. If he finds the gas station, he'll find your note and know to travel down I-98 to find you."

"Do you think I left enough 'Xs and Os'?" Bayley asked.

Sasha chuckled. "Yes, I think you left enough. I'm sure he'll be so excited to see you again."

Bayley nodded her head. "Our wedding anniversary is coming up soon. I think today is the twenty-eighth, which means it's almost February. February third will be two wonderful years of marriage."

"How can you be so upbeat in this freezing cold?" Sasha questioned.

Bayley giggled. "My mom used to say I'm a naturally spirited person. I was spirit squad leader in high school."

"How old are you?" Sasha asked, wondering why Bayley brought up high school and not college.

"Nineteen," Bayley said. "I'll be twenty in June."

"Jesus, you're just a kid," Sasha breathed. "Sometimes you forget that's a thing since the war started."

There was another moment of silence. Sasha looked over at Bayley; She was hunched over and trying to keep her face behind her hood.

"What were you before the war?" Sasha asked.

Bayley sighed. "Pro-life. I just can't imagine people killing babies..."

As she said that, her gloved hands slid over her midsection. Sasha pretended not to notice that, but she made a mental note to ask Bayley about it later.

"You guys wanna stop?" Seth asked.

"You talking to us now?" Sasha snapped back.

Seth stopped his march and turned around, making the two women pause also.

"Look," Seth began. "I'm sorry I yelled before. I'm just frustrated we lost half a day walking in the wrong direction. I just want us to be safe."

"I understand," Sasha bumped past Seth and kept walking.

Seth threw his hands in the air.

"Don't worry," Bayely said. "I'm sure she'll come around."

Seth shook his head. "I hope so..."

"GUYS!" Sasha called.

Seth and Bayley looked up in time to see Sasha take off running. With no time to respond, Seth and Bayley hurried after her.

Coming over a hill, Seth saw a massive cabin hidden behind the tree line. Even stranger, smoke was billowing from the chimney.

"Think someone's home?" Seth called after Sasha.

"Has to be," Sasha hurried deeper into the first. She eventually hit a trail that led to the cabin.

Before Seth could protest, Sasha knocked loudly on the door.

"Are you crazy?" Seth said once he and Bayley joined Sasha on the front porch.

"They have a fire going," Sasha said, out of breath. "I'm cold, hungry, and tired. I don't care if I have to put out, I'm doing whatever I have to to stay here for a little bit."

After a brief waiting time, the front door swung open. Standing in the doorway was a mountain of a man with a massive black beard and long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"The hand-off isn't until tonight," The man boomed in a deep bass.

Sasha shook her head. "We don't have a hand-off. We just need a place to warm up quick. We saw your chimney and thought you might help us."

The man looked at all three of the people huddled on his porch. "You with Corbin?" He asked.

"We don't know him," Sasha said. She saw Bayley's eyes widen at the mention of the name 'Corbin', but now was not the time to ask about him.

"Just you three?" The man asked.

Seth nodded his head. "Yes, sir, just us. We have plenty of food and medicine to trade if you let us stay."

The man shook his head. "No need," He stepped to the side and waved the trio into his home. "Hurry. Before you get frostbite."

Sasha, Bayley, and Seth rushed into the man's home.

"Holy shit, do you have the heat on?" Seth asked, feeling a wall of heat wash over him.

The man nodded. "Yes. Generator downstairs. Fire is for breakfast."

Sasha's jaw dropped at the wood burning stove and the massive amounts of meat sitting beside it.

The trio quickly stripped off their winter gear. There was apparently no need for it.

"What does you generator run off of?" Seth asked the man.

"Gas. People call me crazy for being prepared. They don't think I'm crazy anymore." The man replied.

Sasha turned to focus on Bayley. Her stomach did a somersault when she realized there was a long gash on Bayley's arm.

"Bayley," Sasha exclaimed. "Your arm!"

Bayley shook her head. "It's fine. Just a little scratch."

The man approached Bayley. He took her arm in his massive hands. "I fix your arm." He said.

"We can give you something in exchange," Sasha said.

The man shook his head. "No. I fix her arm. You get warm. Eat. Rest."

Seth and Sasha exchanged a look as the massive man led Bayley upstairs.

"What do you think?" Sasha asked. "Secretly a serial killer?"

Seth shook his head. "No. That's a bear skin rug, not a human skin."

"What's our game plan then?" Sasha asked.

"We stay for a bit," Seth said. "Eat. Warm up. When Bayley's ready, we can take off."

Sasha smirked. "You warming up to Bayley?"

Seth shook his head. "I still don't know what her deal is. Something seems off. Did you see her flinch when that guy mentioned Corbin or whoever? She knows who he is, and judging by his name, he doesn't sound like a nice guy."

Sasha shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But I promised her we'd get her back to her husband. We at least should do that."

Seth nodded. "Sure. But the second she crosses us..."

"Then I'll put the bullet in her head. But I don't think she will."

"Fine," Seth took a seat on one of the couches in the massive living room. "I hope you're right, Sasha."

"I know I am," She promised.

* * *

Sasha must've dozed off. The first thing she realized was her coat and backpack was not where she left it. The second thing was the insanely cozy blanket draped over her person. Once her senses came to her, she heard the sound of voices coming from the next room.

Sasha followed the noise until she entered a room she figured was the dining room. Seth and the man they met were sitting at the table eating steaks.

"Hey," Seth said with a smile. "Good morning, sleepy. The sun's about to go down. You slept all day."

The man turned away from his wood burning stove. He set a plate in an empty seat in front of Sasha.

"Eat." He said.

Sasha eyed the slab of steak carefully. "What is it?" She asked.

"Venison." The man said.

"Deer meat," Seth said.

Sasha shook her head. "I had some peaches..."

"Eat." The man said again.

Sasha, deciding angering the giants was a bad idea, sat at the table. She stared nervously at the meat in front of her. She would've turned it down if her stomach wasn't rumbling. Giving in to her primitive instincts, Sasha took her fork and knife and sawed off a sizable chunk off the venison steak. She bit into it. Now she knew what being in love was.

"It's so good," Sasha mumbled through her food.

"Good." The man said.

Seth cleared his throat. "Look, we can trade you something for all this."

The man shook his head. "No. Don't get a lot of visitors since war. Plenty of food to go around. I stocked up for something like this."

"Do you do deals with bandits?" Sasha asked, remembering something about a hand-off.

The man nodded his head. "They stay away. I give them food. No one bothers me."

"What's your name?" Sasha wanted to know.

"Braun." The man sat at the table with his own steak. "Live here alone."

"Braun," Sasha repeated. "Is our friend ok?"

"No infection. Should heal fine." Braun replied. "She'll sleep here. So will you. Lights out at sundown. Deal takes place after. I don't want the bandits to know you're here. They are bad people. Unless you are married, different rooms."

Seth shook his head. "Not married."

Braun nodded his head. "Finish dinner. Wash up. Then go to bed."

Without another word, Sasha, Seth, and Braun continued eating.

* * *

For the first time in what felt like forever, Sasha stepped out of the shower, fresh as a daisy. Since Braun's house ran off a generator, he had hot water. Sasha took advantage of that and took a much needed shower. Someone must've came into the bathroom when she was in the shower, because there were fresh clothes on the counter when she stepped out.

Sasha tapped on the door she was told Bayley was occupying. She pushed open the door, then laughed at the sight she saw: Bayley, arm wrapped in gauze, had a massive tub of chocolate pudding in her lap.

"Hiya," Bayley said cheerfully. "I just took a hot shower for the first time in forever. Braun fixed my arm, then gave me pudding when I didn't cry during my stitches."

Sasha smiled. "That's so great, Bayley. I'm glad you're better."

Bayley nodded. "Much better. But if my hubby was here too, then it would be perfect."

"He'll find us," Sasha said. "I promise."

Bayley giggled and went back to her pudding. Sasha crossed the hall to an unoccupied room that had her backpack and coat waiting inside. Sasha sat down, pulled her notebook from her pack, then opened it to add another entry.

* * *

 _January 27, 2025_

 _I made a new friend today. Her name is Bayley. She is really sweet and nice to talk to... Seth doesn't like her yet. I'm sure he will. Things got rough between us, but I'm sure it'll be ok again soon. We met a nice man named Braun. He's tall and scares the hell out of me, but he fed me deer steak and I loved it. Maybe he'll let us stay for a while. Or at least until spring. That would make things so much easier._

 _Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks_

* * *

"You ok?"

Sasha closed her book. "Yeah, just going to bed soon."

She turned and stood up. Seth was standing in her doorway with his hands in his pockets. From the look of it, Braun got him new clothes too.

"Listen," Seth said. "I knew we hardly know each other, and I'm not a nice person sometimes. But I consider you a good friend. I don't want us to argue all the time, ok? I'll try to best less stubborn..."

Sasha stood on her toes and lightly brushed her lips against Seth's. She giggled at the shocked expression on his face.

"I never thanked you for saving me before in Pittsburgh," Sasha said. "So, thank you."

Seth's face turned red. He struggled to catch his breath and speak, which made Sasha laugh.

"Separate rooms, Seth," Sasha gently pushed her companion into the hall and shut the door.

"Lights out!" Braun called from downstairs.

As been asked of her, Sasha switched her lights off and crawled into bed. Just as soon as she pulled her blanket to her chin, she could hear a vehicle approaching. Several vehicles.

She could hear a few voices downstairs. But as soon as it started, it was over again and the vehicles retreated down the driveway. She figured it was the bandits. Since this cabin was so deep in the woods, it would be relatively easy to miss it unless you knew where to look.

Feeling her eyelids grow heavy, Sasha rolled over to her side to finally catch a good night's sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**DAY 210**

The strange feeling of joy and the smell of bacon awoke Sasha from her deep sleep. Her unfamiliar surroundings took a moment to process. Sasha began to panic, in her sleepy haze, when she couldn't remember how she ended up where she was.

"You're ok, you're safe," Sasha whispered to herself as she began to piece the previous day together. She took a deep breath to better steady her nerves.

 _Knock! Knock!_

Sasha jumped. "Uh, come in!" She called out.

The door creaked open. The familiar face of her new travel companion made Sasha's nervous heart settle.

"Good morning, Bayley," Sasha greeted the young woman with a kind smile.

"Morning, Sasha," Bayley said, voice still weary from sleep. "Braun said breakfast is almost ready. He needs someone to come set the table. I offered, but he doesn't want me to accidentally open my stitches."

Sasha nodded her head. "Sure, I'll be down in a second."

The bedroom door closed again and Sasha was left alone. She sighed, rubbing her hands in her eyes.

"Everyone's fine," Sasha thought to herself. "Talk to Seth, head downstairs, eat some food, then figure out what to do next."

Sasha gradually got to her feet; The warmth engulfing the house still took her by surprise. How could one generator power this massive cabin? It just seemed too good to be true.

Shuffling wearily into the hallway, Sasha made bashful eye contact with the man who saved her life at the beginning of all the madness. It was clear by the look of the smile on his face he had just been woken up by their third friend also. Or maybe he was smiling for that one thing that happened the night before.

"Good morning," Sasha said to greet her travel companion.

"Mornin'," Seth said in return. "I might have had the best night's sleep in my entire life."

Sasha chuckled and shook her head. "Dude, I know. Sleeping on floors of gas stations and abandoned houses made me forget how great a bed is."

A small awkward silence fell over the two friends. It was clear they were thinking about the same thing: Sasha kissing Seth before sending him to bed. Sasha just meant it as a thank you for saving her life and helping her survive the last few months. But she would be lying if she said she didn't want it to happen again.

"So..." Sasha muttered with a small grin. "Braun wants me to set the table."

Seth smirked and nodded his head. "Right, you should probably go do that then. I don't think he's the kind of guy that likes waiting."

Repeating her actions from the night before, Sasha stood on her toes and lightly brushed her lips against Seth's. It was brief but Sasha felt it conveyed her feelings for her friend.

"Thank you," she said, smiling gently. "For... Making sure I survived this war."

"Anytime, Sasha," Seth replied, matching her slight smile.

Seth took a step back and allowed Sasha to descend the staircase first before following her.

* * *

The aroma of sizzling slices of pork overwhelmed Sasha to the point her mouth began to water. Braun, with his back to Seth and Sasha, stood over the wood burning stove in his kitchen. Bayley was sitting at the table, already eating away at a massive heap of eggs and bacon.

"Sorry we're too late to set the table," Sasha apologized.

Braun set two more plates at the table. He nodded his head at Bayley and shook his head.

"She did. Stubborn girl," Braun grunted.

Bayley shrugged. "I wanted to help out after you helped us, Braun. It was the least I could do."

Seth and Sasha took their own spots opposite from Bayley. The heaping pile of eggs and bacon set out in front of her made Sasha want to dive in head first and greedily chomp at her food. But since her manners overtook her desire to eat, she properly ate her eggs with a plastic fork.

Braun sat in his seat at the head of the table. He closed his eyes, bowed his head, and muttered a few words to himself quietly. Sasha felt bad she hadn't been keeping up with her prayers recently; It's easy for forget a lot of things during this war.

"Listen, Braun," Seth began. "I can't begin to thank you enough for taking us in for the night. I really appreciate it."

Braun continued eating his food, but he made eye contact with Seth while he ate.

Seth chuckled nervously. "Anyway, like I was trying to say last night, if there's anything you want from us. We have canned food, medicine, some bottled water left..."

Braun raised his massive paw, silently cutting Seth off. He remained silent for a moment, finishing his food before speaking.

"More than prepared." Braun boomed. "If you want to stay, I will need help around the house. Dishes, sweeping, chopping wood, cooking."

"How long would you like us to stay before we leave again?" The question had been on Sasha's mind ever since Braun let them in the previous day.

Braun scratched at his beard. "How long do you plan to stay?"

Sasha and Seth exchanged a look. "A few days, maybe," Seth said. "Then we'll be on the road again."

Braun shook his head. "Too dangerous. You stay until warm again."

Sash chimed in. "Braun, that's very nice of you to let us stay here until spring. But we're trying to get to Stamford, and Bayley's looking for her husband."

Braun looked at Bayley. "What do you want, little one?"

Bayley had a nervous look in her eye. Perhaps it was from Braun's intimidating presence. She looked at Seth and Sasha. She seemed to be debating something in her mind.

"I mean," Bayley spoke. "I like it here. It's warm. We have food to eat and water to drink. I'm perfectly ok with doing a few chores to keep my stay welcome. Plus, my husband knows I'll be somewhere down this road. He'll find me eventually if I stick here."

Braun nodded his head. "Then you stay," he turned back to Seth and Sasha. "You stay too."

Seth shook his head. "I just don't feel right free loading off of you when I have plenty to offer."

Shaking the table a bit, Braun stood up from his seat.

"Follow me." He ordered in his deep voice.

Fearing angering the man will bring them dismay, Sasha, Seth, and Bayley followed Braun into his kitchen.

The mountainous man lead the trio down a set of stairs near the backdoor of the cabin. Cautiously, the group ventured into the basement. The first thing Sasha noticed was the smell; Old, musty, with a hint of mold in the air. The second thing she noticed was the dirt floor; Good thing she insisted on wearing shoes in the house.

"Holy guacamole," Bayley exclaimed.

"Holy shit," Seth replied.

Sasha, looking up from the floor, saw what all the hype was about. Several dozen metallic shelves stood in the cellar. Multiple shelves had medical supplies on them: Antiseptic, bandages, Tylenol, and every over-the-counter antibiotic you could imagine. Others had more canned goods than Sasha had ever seen before. The last few shelves were holding various other supplies: Ammunition, blankets, clothes, and bottles of water.

"Wow," Sasha muttered, almost finding herself tearing up from the sight.

"More than enough," Braun repeated. "Meat from hunting. Everything else I would need is down here."

Sasha's eye caught the massive furnace in the corner. Under the stairs were several dozen barrels of what Sasha assumed was fuel for the furnace.

"You don't need us to trade at all," Seth chuckled.

Braun shook his head. "No."

Sasha gave Seth a look from the corner of her eye. He smirked and nudged her with his elbow.

"Braun," Sasha said, bringing the attention of the massive man. "I'll do anything you want as long as you let us stay here."

Braun, for maybe the first time, chuckled at that. "Finish breakfast first. Women wash dishes and sweep. Men find firewood and hunt."

Seth nodded his head. "I can do that. Just show me how to shoot a rifle and I'll be good to go."

Braun, nodding his head, turned for the door to lead the group back upstairs.

"Not too bad?" Sasha asked Seth hopefully.

Seth nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, definitely shouldn't fuck this up for us anytime soon."

"Swear," Bayley muttered from behind him.

"Sorry," Seth said over his shoulder, getting giggles from both girls.

* * *

Seth, re-bundled in his winter gear, waved goodbye to Sasha and Bayley before he and Braun stepped outside into the freezing snow. While the boys were away, Sasha and Bayley were in charge of cleaning the dishes and sweeping the kitchen. Bayley agreed to dry while Sasha washed.

They kept to mostly small talk during their time. Sasha discussed her love for Tupac and learned Bayley was a huge Paramore fan. They discussed their hobbies before the war as well as their favorite foods, hangout spots, and movies. But there were two questions Sasha was dying to know. She could easily bet Bayley was with child based on how she acted the day before. Her other main issue was how she knew this Corbin guy. She flinched pretty hard when Braun said his name, so she had to have known him in some way.

"So," Sasha said, breaking a brief silence. "How far along are you?"

Bayley, surprised by the question, nearly dropped a cup she was drying off.

"Oh, I was expecting that question," Bayley nervously giggled.

"I kinda figured something was up," Sasha replied with a smile. "You kept rubbing your belly during the walk and during supper. It's either the flu or a baby."

Bayley sheepishly dropped her head. "Four months in a few days. I want it to be a boy so bad, but Roman thinks it'll be a little girl."

"Roman?" Sasha asked.

"My husband," Bayley clarified. "He's a sweetheart. You'll love him when you get to meet him. He's always looking out for me and making sure I'm cared for... He's the love of my life and I miss him so much."

"He'll be here soon," Sasha reassured. "He's probably already found your note and on his way to come find you."

"You think so?" Bayley asked.

Sasha nodded her head. "Absolutely. Just wait here a little longer and he'll be knocking on the door before you know it."

Bayley giggled softly. "Thank you, Sasha," she set her towel down and threw her arms around Sasha's shoulders. "Thank you for being my friend."

Sasha hugged the young woman back. "No problem, Bayley."

The question about Corbin hadn't escaped Sasha's focus yet. Now that Bayley was full of hope, she hated the idea of possibly taking it all from the young Latina with a poorly timed question. Still, if this Corbin guy was going to be an issue, Sasha needed to know what was up.

"Bayley," Sasha began. "Who's Corbin?"

Bayley tensed up. "Why? What? Who said his name?"

"Last night, when Braun brought him up you kinda freaked out," Sasha said.

Bayley nodded her head slowly. She inhaled sharply through her nose, cradling her face in her hands. Sasha place a hand on her shoulder, but Bayley turned away.

"Is he a bad guy?" Sasha asked.

"He's horrible," Bayley whimpered. "He threatened to hurt me and my baby. He even told Roman he'd kill him."

"Who is he?" Sasha asked again.

Bayley sighed. "Roman and I used to be in a group with him. We didn't know he was evil at first. He was really nice to us. Then... He..."

"Go on," Sasha encouraged.

Bayley's face dropped to the floor again. "He... Did some awful, awful things to other people in our group. That was almost a month ago. I thought he was a nice guy, but... That's not the worst part... He..."

Before Bayley could finish her thought, Seth and Braun returned from their hunting trip.

"Hey, girls," Seth greeted his two friends with a smile. "Braun shot a buck and a few squirrels."

"Supper." Braun replied, dragging a deer carcass behind him to the basement.

"How was washing dishes?" Seth asked.

Sasha smiled weakly. "Fine. Just girl talk."

Seth snickered. "Cool. Well, I'm gonna go help Braun skin the deer. I'll talk to you guys later."

Sasha turned back to the sink. She looked over at Bayley, wanting to continue their conversation, but the hugger refused to return her gaze. Sasha put it behind her and continued scrubbing the frying pan used for breakfast.

* * *

With the day nearing its end, Sasha gradually climbed the stairs back to her bedroom. The group spent the day listening to hunting stories from Braun and playing board games. Braun mentioned it was the first time in a long time he had somebody to play Mouse Trap with; Sasha added it was probably the first time she played the game with all its pieces accounted for.

The evening was slowly being replaced by the night. Sasha was tired, but she felt she could stay about for several more hours at the same time. Shuffling down the hallway, Sasha stopped in front of Bayley's room. She knocked softly and opened the door after being invited in by a quiet "come in".

Bayley was sitting on her bed crossed legged, brushing her hair. Sasha chuckled at the sight, making Bayley look at her curiously and return her smile.

"Hey, Bayley," Sasha crawled onto the bed next to her new friend. "Mind if we chat?"

Bayley sighed. "You still want to know what happened with Corbin?"

"I'm sorry, but I want us to be honest with each other," Sasha said.

Bayley set the hairbrush down beside herself. Sasha could tell she was already on the verge of crying her eyes out.

"My husband, Roman, and I were in Corbin's group a few weeks back," Bayley began. "We stayed with him because he had a bunch of supplies and we thought he knew how to get to Stamford. I don't know why I never noticed until we left, but he was not a good person, Sasha. Corbin... Was a monster. He'd raid people's homes while they slept and killed them all if they got in his way. He once beat an old man to death with a can of corn when he tried defending his home. Then, one night when he found out part of the group was planning on leaving, he locked them in the house we were hiding out in and set it on fire. He made us stand there and listen to their screams. The next morning, Roman and I were gone. He's been hot on our heels ever since. A few days before I found you and Seth, he found us. Roman made me promise to run and not stop until I got help. I found you guys and I think I'm safe now. I just can't bear the thought of losing Roman. I love him so much, it hurts that he isn't here. But..."

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Bayley?"

Bayley inhaled sharply and shook her head. "A few months ago, when we just joined his group, Corbin came into my room one night. I thought he was just saying goodnight, but he sat on the edge of my bed. He kept telling me how pretty he thought I was. I thought he was just being nice... Then he slid his hand inside my jeans. I told him to stop, but he didn't. Then he... He... He..."

Sasha didn't need Bayley to go into the full details. She threw her arms around the weeping woman and held her tight. She didn't dare let go of the poor woman. Sasha didn't say it out loud, but she swore on everything she believed in Corbin would die a horrible death if she ever met him. Who in the world would hurt a innocent soul like Bayley? Only sick fucks that needed to be put down.

Sasha continued holding Bayley until she fell asleep. Even after the latina's eyes fluttered closed, Sasha held her tightly against her chest.

* * *

 _January 28, 2025_

 _I don't care what I have to do. This man named Corbin will pay for the pain he caused Bayley. That sweet, innocent little girl did not deserve what he did to her. I will see him die if it's the last thing I do._

 _Braun doesn't know about Corbin and Bayley. Seth didn't either. Something tells me she wouldn't live very much longer if they did find out. Braun's stocked up on everything and I'd like to stay here a little bit longer if it's possible._

 _Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks_

* * *

Seth rolled over in bed when he heard his bedroom door creak open. The silhouette of Sasha crossed the room in his direction.

"Sasha?" Seth asked groggily.

Sasha, remaining silent, crawled into bed next to Seth. Seth was going to ask what she wanted, but he stopped when he noticed her faint whimpers.

"What's wrong?" Seth asked, wrapping Sasha in a hug.

Sasha remained quiet and burrowed her face in Seth's chest.

"Shh, it's ok, Sasha," Seth cooed. "It's just another panic attack. You'll be ok, Sasha."

"Thank you," Sasha whispered through her tears.

"For?" Seth asked.

"Getting me through this fucking war," Sasha growled.

Seth held onto the purple haired woman tighter. Hopefully it let her know he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**DAY 211**

 _January 29, 2025_

 _Braun showed me how to cook rabbit stew and venison steaks. It was a lovely dinner as always. I wish I knew how to repay him for all he's done._

 _Seth didn't really say anything about last night. I went to his room after I talked with Bayley. Nothing happened. He just held me while I had a panic attack. God, I'm such a loser sometimes. Bayley has a blood-thirsty psychopath after her and I'm having panic attacks because I can't handle new surroundings. It's genetic, but oh well._

 _Bayley was really quiet today. I told Seth about Corbin. Thank God he didn't treat her any different. He was a little more courteous towards he today. I guess not all pro-choice people are bad! No, but from my experience they're all bottom feeding scum. Just... I don't understand people's reasons for harming a defenseless baby._

 _I'm getting off topic a little, but if I ever get through this war I need to remember my thoughts during. Who knows, this could be a really good book someday. I could get it published so people can see, and maybe relate, with what I experienced. That would be nice._

 _Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks_

* * *

The sun was finally setting behind the horizon. The day was mostly uneventful, other than Bayley winning three games of Monopoly in a row.

Sasha closed her trusty notebook. She wasn't tired in terms of wanting to sleep, but the idea of someone coming for Bayley that wasn't her husband made her uneasy. They'd only met each other just a couple days before, but Sasha felt like she knew Bayley for years; She took on a bit of a big sister roll to the young woman. It would be possible, Sasha told herself since Bayley was only six years younger than her.

The door to her bedroom slowly creaked open. Sasha smiled sadly at the curious dark eyes of her adopted little sister.

"Hey, Bayley," Sasha spoke softly in order not to startle the younger woman.

"Hi," Bayley said simply before shuffling into the room.

Bayley joined Sasha at the small desk in the corner of her bedroom. Her head tilted in curiosity when she spotted the beat-up purple notebook in front of Sasha.

"Is that a journal?" Bayley asked, pointing at the notebook.

Sasha nodded her head. "Sure is, I keep a daily log of all the stuff that happens during the day," she offered the notebook to Bayley. "Wanna take a look?"

Bayley slowly nodded her head and took the notebook. Sasha watched on in slight embarrassment as to what Bayley would comment after seeing her daily thoughts of the day. It was her inner monologue and she wasn't really eager to show people what her daily thoughts were.

Bayley giggled. "You have a crush on Seth?"

"What? No, I don't. Don't be... Stupid, Bayley." Sasha shot back uneasily.

Bayley, giant smile on her face, flipped through more pages. Gradually her grin shrunk.

"Seth's pro-choice," Bayley sighed. "That... Makes a lot of sense."

"He said he changed his mind now," Sasha assured. "I mean... Not all pro-choicers are assholes, right?"

Bayley shrugged. "In my experience, they usually are. But if you say so, Sasha."

All of a sudden, two things happened almost at the same time: Braun's thunderous voice echoed "Lights out" through the home and the sound of wheels tearing up gravel could be heard in the distance.

As quick as a hiccup, Sasha bolted across the room and shut her light off. She turned to Bayley and pressed her index finger to her lips. Bayley nodded her head and mimicked her actions.

Headlights from several vehicles flooded through the breaks between the window blinds. Gravel and snow crunching under boots approached the cabin. Then a booming knock on the door.

"Braun, good to see you again," said a low voice.

There was a short pause before Braun's low baritone could be heard. "Corbin, this week's hand-off already happened."

Sasha's head snapped up to focus on the woman standing across the room. Even in the dim light from the cars outside, Sasha could tell Bayley was two seconds away from having a melt down. Silently, Sasha crept across the carpet to her friend. She wrapped her snugly in her arms, whispering to her that everything was going to be alright.

"I understand that, my friend," Corbin was speaking again. "But I have an issue I'd like to discuss. You see, a few days ago, two people from my group went missing. Roman and Bayley, to be precise. We still haven't caught up with Roman, but we have reason to believe Bayley might be here. Search the house."

Suddenly, the sound of pounding footsteps climbed the stairs. As quick as she could, Sasha pushed herself and Bayley into the closet. Thinking quick, she collected her backpack and coat, then shut the door behind her as her bedroom door burst open and the light was thrown on.

Through the slits on the closet door, Sasha watched as a scarily tall man walked into her room with a shorter man with an assault rifle walking in beside him. Bayley gasped, but Sasha covered her mouth with her hand before she drew attention to themselves.

"No one upstairs from the looks of it, sir," the shorter man said.

"Thank you, Gable," the taller one's voice matched the man that was speaking downstairs; This must've been Corbin.

Sasha felt her heart beat quicken as well as her blood start to boil. Here stood the guy that tormented and hurt her little sister. Since she figured he could out-strengthen her easily, Sasha forced herself from bursting into the room and beating the man to death.

Braun walked into Sasha's line of sight. "Well, Corbin, are you happy?" He asked.

Corbin smirked. "Well, I gotta say, I apologize for assuming you had the mother of my child held captive here," he turned to face the mountain of a man behind him. "Assumptions are terrible things these days, right?"

"Mother of his child?" Sasha whispered.

In her arms, she could feel Bayley rapidly shaking her head. On top of that her breathing was slow and labored like she had been running for quite some time.

"That's right," Braun replied.

Corbin, unzippig his coat, took another look around the room. He turned to the window, shook his head, then looked at the desk beside him like something caught his eye. Sasha watched in horror as Corbin lifted her purple notebook from the desktop.

"Yours?" Corbin asked Braun.

Braun shook his head. "Left behind." His eyes locked on the closet door for a brief moment before looking back to Corbin.

Corbin flipped open the cover of the notebook. "Sasha Mercedes Banks, huh? She sounds like a fighter. 'Day One: Those bastard pro-choice SJWs managed to storm the White House. This country is at war, and I'm stuck in the middle of a pro-choice state. I'm scared, hungry, and thirsty. I wish Starbucks was still open...' She's a smart girl, don't you think? Pro-choice people are disgusting, right?"

"I'm pro-choice," Braun growled.

Corbin chuckled dryly. He threw the purple notebook back onto the desk.

"That so?" He asked, face twitching into a menacing scowl.

In a quick fashion, Corbin removed a pistol from his coat, spun to face Braun, and aimed the weapon against Braun's forehead. Braun didn't flinch; He just continued staring daggers at Corbin.

"I'll give you five seconds to take back what you said," Corbin growled.

Braun smirked. "Pro-life but you so easily take the lives of people that disagree with you," he shook his head. "You are the worst kind of people I've ever met."

The next seven seconds felt like they lasted hours. Sasha squeezed her eyes shut, expecting the crack of a gunshot to erupt through the house and finding the gentle giant crumpled in a lifeless heap on the floor. But it thankfully never came. Slowly, Sasha peaked through the closet door once again.

Corbin clicked the safety on his gun and set it back inside his jacket.

"You're stubborn. I like stubborn," Corbin said with a gut churning smile. "I'll be back in a few days for our rations. Don't be afraid to trade a can of peas for a can of sweet corn. Group loves it."

Corbin strode past Braun and out the bedroom door. Braun didn't move until the sounds of cars driving away sounded from outside.

"You can come out now," Braun told the women in the closet.

Bayley, tears pouring down her face, burst into the bedroom and threw her arms around Braun. Sasha re-entered her room a little slower, still uneasy about the whole exchange.

"I'm so sorry I thought you were all bad," Bayley cried into Braun's chest.

Sasha made eye contact with Braun. The uneasy tension between them could be cut with a knife. If meeting Seth taught her anything, it was that anybody deserved the benefit of the doubt when it came to their beliefs. She experienced a lot of public criticism from others when she started dyeing her hair different colors. Like a hypocrite, she judged others based on their beliefs on a stupid political issue. Braun was some friendly stranger that brought her in and gave her warmth and food and water, and he never once asked where she stood on the issue.

Sasha, wiping regretful tears from her eyes, hurried to Braun also.

"I'm sorry too," she whispered to the massive man.

Seth himself ran into the bedroom.

"You guys ok?" He asked the trio.

Sasha quickly crossed the room into Seth. The two people embraced, Sasha weeping into Seth's shoulder. The dark haired young man held her close to his person, letting her get all the tears out she needed.

* * *

"You ok?"

"I can't sleep."

Seth snuck into Sasha's room after lights out when all the excitement died down. Without any hesitation, Sasha let him in her bed and allowed him to hold her again like the night before. They stayed silent for a little while, trying to get some sleep. But the idea of slumber seemed like an unattainable concept at this point.

"What the fuck happened today?" Seth whispered.

Sasha shook her head. "We found out who Corbin was: A pro-life murderer that thinks Bayley is carrying his child."

"Bayley had sex with him?" Seth asked.

"Not by choice," Sasha muttered, already feeling bitter tears come back to her eyes.

Seth's grip around Sasha intensified. She placed her hands over his, making him relax his hold a little.

"That bastard," Seth whispered.

"I want to kill him," Sasha said. It was the first time she said it out loud. It didn't feel good to say, but it was more than necessary.

"Not before I do," Seth hissed.

Sasha rolled over to face Seth.

"We could take turns stabbing him until he bleeds out," she suggested.

Seth smirked. "I like that. Never thought I'd hear a pro-lifer describe a death scene."

"Yeah, well, not all pro-lifers are good people, apparently," Sasha sighed.

Seth sighed. "Yeah, and not all pro-choice people are shitheads either."

"You are a shit head, Seth," Sasha chuckled.

"Oh, and saving your ass over and over makes me a shithead, eh?" Seth asked with a chuckle. "Alright, I'll be on my way."

As Seth began rolling out of bed, Sasha pulled him by the arm to stop him.

"I thought I was a shithead?" Seth asked sarcastically.

"Shut up and hold me, shithead." Sasha said, getting a laugh from Seth.

Seth and Sasha laid in silence for a moment, staring at each other. Seth occasionally brushed hair out of Sasha's face, which would make her roll or eyes or giggle softly.

"Your hair looks so strange," Seth said. "It's hazel on top, but then you have purple everywhere else."

Sasha narrowed her eyes. "I have strange hair?"

"No, that's not what I meant..."

"Hmm, if this is your way of getting on my good side, you are not doing so hot, Seth," Sasha taunted playfully.

"Am I usually doing a good job at that?" Seth asked.

Sasha cocked an eyebrow. "Well, saving my life all the time makes up for all the other times you act like a dick."

"When am I a dick?" Seth asked, playfully offended.

"Right now," Sasha stated.

Seth cocked an eyebrow. "How?"

"I've been giving you the signal for an hour and you still haven't made a move," Sasha topped her light flirting with a wink.

Seth grinned. "You have been?"

"You're still talking?" Sasha shot back.

Wasting no more time, Seth pulled Sasha into him and pressed his lips against hers. The surge of electricity Sasha felt made her gasp into the kiss. Seth parted her lips with his tongue, allowing hers to wrestle with his. Sasha tugged on her sweatpants, as Seth's chapped left hand slid up her shirt and cupped her breast.

"Guys?"

Seth and Sasha let out a collected yelp of surprise. Bayley, nervously playing with her hands, interrupted them before anything could escalate.

"Hey, Bayley," Sasha said, trying to pull her sweats back up at discreetly as she could.

"Oh, was I interrupting?" Bayley asked.

"No, you weren't," Sasha said.

"She wasn't?" Seth asked.

Sasha elbowed Seth in the side but gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Um, I know this is gonna sound kinda lame," Bayley began. "But... Can I sleep with you guys tonight? I can't really go to sleep alone right now."

"Aww, of course you can, sweetie," Sasha made room for Bayley.

The frightened young woman quickly joined her new friends in bed. She laid between Seth and Sasha on the larger bed, quickly burrowing under the covers.

"Thanks, guys," Bayley said.

"No problem, kid," Seth said.

Bayley rolled to her left side so she didn't lay on her arm with the stitches.

"Braun is a really nice person," Bayley whispered.

"Yeah, he is," Sasha agreed.

There was a brief silence that covered the trio. Seth glanced over Bayley at Sasha. The purple haired woman gave him a wink and giggled silently.

"Corbin isn't the dad," Bayley said. "I swear I was pregnant before he... Anyway, Roman is the father. He has to be."

Sasha placed a gentle hand on Bayley's arm.

"I believe you, Bayley," Sasha reassured. "Corbin deserves to burn in Hell for what he's done."

Bayley nodded. "And he will. Because God makes everything right in the end."

"That's right," Sasha said.

Seth, who admitted long ago to Sasha that he didn't believe in religion, nodded his head also. Even though he didn't believe in a higher power, he did find some comfort when he joined Sasha in prayer sometimes.

"But we're ok now," Sasha said. "We're warm, we have food and water. Roman is on his way to finally find you again."

Bayley giggled. "I can't wait to give him a hug again. I miss him so much."

"He'll be here before you know it, Bayley," Seth added.


	4. Chapter 4

_January 30, 2025_

 _A lot of things happened to us last night, journal. I got to see who Baron Corbin was and how much of an awful person he is to people. He is such a sick and twisted bastard. I can't believe he's supposedly on my side in this war... But, I guess not everyone is the way they seem. Braun is supposed to be my enemy but he's been nothing but civil and welcoming to Seth, Bayley, and me ever since we showed up at his house. We've only been here for about three days, but I can't even begin to thank him enough for what he's done._

 _I almost saw him get shot. I almost cried when the gun was pointed at his head, but I knew making a sound would've gotten Bayley and me killed. Thank God Corbin didn't go through with it. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I he killed Braun. It's just because I was stupid enough to leave my journal out. I need to remember to hide it better next time._

 _I almost didn't want to write about this, but Seth and I kissed again last night. It almost escalated past that too, but Bayley crawled into bed with us and nothing else happened between us for the rest of the night. Or the next morning actually. Even now, I'm sitting at the kitchen table, writing in my notebook, and Seth is tuning Braun's radio and not paying me any attention. Maybe he thinks last night was a mistake too. Now is not the time to start a romantic relationship with anybody. Maybe in a different world that wasn't plagued with war and death at every corner Seth and I would've met under different circumstances and we'd be a couple. But we can't be. Not until we make it out of this hell, at least._

 _The plan is still to make it to Stamford. Bayley's made it clear she isn't keen on leaving until her husband shows up. I hope he does soon. I'm happy staying here in Braun's cabin, but I fear Corbin may come back and hurt either him or one of us. I pray everyday that he doesn't catch wind of Bayley and finds us._

 _Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks_

* * *

 **DAY 212**

Just as midday hit, Sasha finished updating her journal. It slowly morphed into a kind of diary as much as it did a daily journal of what was going on. She wrote about important things when they happened, but, when she re-read other entrees, she realized it was slowly becoming a daily log of her life instead of her life and the war.

"Any luck?" Bayley asked Seth; She was sitting crossed legged next to the radio on the living room floor.

Seth, spinning the AM and FM dials to try and pick something up, shook his head in a slow, disappointed manner.

"That dinosaur gonna pick anything up?" Sasha asked from her seat in the dining room.

Seth rolled his eyes. "It's a stereo from two thousand two," he hollered back. "It's not that old. Christ, it's younger than you."

"Older than me," Bayley chimed in, picking at the fresh gauze Braun applied to her arm.

"Yeah, but you're still a puppy," Seth joked, chuckling when Bayley scrunched her face and gave him a funny look.

Sasha signed her name at the bottom of her latest update. She dropped the pen between the pages and closed the cover. This time, she kept the journal in her hoodie pouch so she didn't accidentally leave it out in the open again.

Sasha took a seat next to Seth on the couch. The large boombox, resting on the coffee table, hissed static feedback while Seth fiddled with its knobs.

"You sure that thing will pick up a signal?" Sasha asked.

Seth shrugged. "Don't know," he admitted with a sigh. "But I'd give almost anything to hear some good news for once."

"I'm pregnant!" Bayley exclaimed cheerfully.

Seth smirked. "Yes, you are, Bayley."

Bayley openly told Seth and Braun she was expecting earlier that morning. Seth and, surprisingly, Braun gave their positive praise for the young woman; Braun even gave her the bigger venison steak as a gift, instead of keeping it for himself when he cooked breakfast.

The backdoor popped open. Braun, covered in snow, shuffled into the living room with a doe carcass slung over his shoulder.

"Dinner." He announced to the others, slapping the deer on its side.

"Looks delicious, Braun," Bayley said with a cheery smile.

Braun pointed at the radio in front of Seth. "That thing still works?" He asked.

"Well, not yet," Seth replied. "I'm still trying to figure out what station to turn it to."

Braun dismissed himself from the room with a head not and soft grunt. Bayley excused herself to use the restroom; Sasha noted it was at least the fifth time in a span of about thirty minutes that she needed to pee.

Sasha was left with just Seth in the room. She could sense a wall of awkwardness surrounding them and slowly closing in. Maybe it was just her that felt that way, but it still felt like something was hanging between them.

"You know you make it more awkward when you don't talk, right?" Seth said, taking Sasha from her thoughts.

Sasha chuckled nervously. "So I'm not the only one feeling weird after last night?"

Seth looked over his shoulder and smiled at the purple haired woman.

"Nah, kid, I feel weird too," he said before turning back to the radio.

"I mean, I said a lot of things last night," she continued, feeling herself trip on every other word. "But, don't get me wrong, you're a great guy. I just don't... Think it's a good idea for us to be... A thing."

"Why not?" Seth asked but was still looking at the stereo.

"Don't you think we have bigger problems than a stupid middle school relationship?" Sasha asked.

"I like kissing you," Seth admitted. "I know you like it too. Doesn't mean we need to be boyfriend-girlfriend or anything. Just two adults blowing off some steam when it gets to be too much."

Sasha frowned. Seth was playing it cool, it seemed. He didn't want a relationship, and Sasha didn't really blame him. The war and their survival was surely more important than whether or not they were a couple. Admittedly, Sasha did think a lot about Seth last night before she fell asleep. He was a hard-ass with a soft inside when it came to protecting his friends. That was one of the things she admired about him.

"I don't want to have sex with you," Sasha blurted out.

Seth reconnected his gaze with Sasha. He cocked an eyebrow and shook his head.

"I never said you did," he said.

Sasha shrugged. "Well... Now you know for sure."

Seth, furrowing his brow, turned back to the radio. Before Sasha could shove her foot deeper into her mouth, Bayley bounced back into the room and re-took her previous spot on the floor.

"Any luck?" The bubbly teen asked.

"Nah, just... Hold on," Seth lifted his hands away from the radio; Very faintly, a voice could be heard from within the static.

Seth nudged a knob very, very slightly. Suddenly, the voice became clearer. Though there was still some static, the man's voice could be heard perfectly.

 _"...And the thing about this bullshit war we got ourselves in, is that I can't get a decent salmon roll anywhere unless I raid Chinatown before sundown, ya know?"_

Seth looked at Sasha. "The hell is he talking about?"

Sasha shook her head and shrugged.

 _"Anyways, that's what's on my mind this morning. I don't know if any of yous can hear me out there with the internet, electricity, and gas being shut off in most places, I could just be talking nonsense into this radio station's headset... But, to be fair, a lot of yous think it's nonsense anyway. I'll be back tomorrow morning to continue my professional critique of this battle of the brains. But, to leave you with, here's a marathon of music. I can't tell what kind it is because the label is faded, but let's hope it's some hot tunes, eh?"_

The voice went away and was quickly replaced by _"We Built This City"_ by Mickey Thomas.

"Who was that?" Bayley asked her two companions.

"Nobody I recognized," Seth said. "Sounded like he's got a New Jersey accent. I wonder where he is."

"Somewhere close enough to get a radio signal," Sasha added.

With the mystery of the radio host on their minds, Bayley opted for the moment appropriate _Clue?_ board game to pass the time while the classic rock music filled the cabin.

* * *

After dinner, Sasha took a hot shower. When she walk passed Bayley's room, she saw the young woman staring at herself in the mirror; Her shirt was pulled up over her stomach and she was tapping at her sides with her fingers.

Sasha chuckled. "Watcha lookin' at, Bayley?"

Bayley, smile spread wide across her face, giggled excitedly.

"I'm starting to show a little," she announced, running her hands over the very slight bump in her stomach. "I can actually see her."

"Her?" Sasha questioned.

Bayley nodded. "I have a feeling it's gonna be a girl. Something in my gut tells me. I know I said I wanted a boy, but I don't really have a preference. I just want the little thing to be healthy and happy when she's born."

"It's quite the world she's being brought into," Sasha commented.

Bayley sighed. "I know. That's one of the reasons I need Roman here with me. He knows how to fight and scavenge and survive something like this. He was in the army while I was finishing high school. I barely know calculus, let alone how to make a campfire and cook food."

"Your eggs this morning were great," Sasha praised. "As for a fire, if you want, I can teach you tomorrow. It's no hassle and it's pretty easy once you get the hang of it and practice a bunch."

Bayley smiled. "Thanks a bunch. Maybe I can figure it out before Roman finds us. That way I can show him I'm capable enough to take care of us and carry a baby in my belly."

"You're more of a warrior than I am, Bayley, I'll give you that," Sasha said.

The young women said goodnight to each other. Before going to her own room, Sasha traveled down the staircase to fetch herself a bottle of water.

As she came to the last step, she noticed the fireplace was still lit. In a rocking chair near the corner with his back to her, Braun was silently listening to the soft melody coming from the radio.

Sasha smiled to herself. "Gentle giant." She mused.

Tiptoeing across the floor to keep herself silent, Sasha fetched a water bottle from the kitchen counter. On her way back to the stairs, she realized Braun was holding a picture frame. She had never seen it before, nor could she see the image inside the frame.

Braun, sighing heavily, brought the photo up to his lips and kissed the glass. Sasha's heart broke for him. It must've been a picture of a loved one he lost.

Not wanting to intrude further, Sasha crept back up the staircase and into her room.

Before she closed the door, Seth emerged from his own room. They made eye contact for a moment. Sasha watched him carefully, anticipating his next move with an grand sense of eagerness. Seth chuckled, gave her a wink, and slipped into the bathroom. Sasha rolled her eyes with a smile and closed the door to her bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Day 213**

As the early morning snow began to fall on the cabin, Sasha Banks descended the staircase to the living room to find her two travel companions seated by the coffee table with a game of _Monopoly_ set out in front of them. The scene made Sasha smile; Judging by the annoyed look on Seth's face and the joy in Bayley's eyes, and the uneven stacks of color cash, Bayley wasn't doing too bad for herself.

"Guys having fun?" Sasha asked, taking a seat on the couch.

"Yep!" Bayley chirped cheerfully.

"No." Seth grumbled, rolling his eyes as Bayley set up what looked like her fifth hotel.

"Aww, looks like someone's a sore loser," Sasha taunted playfully with a smirk.

Bayley giggled as Seth threw a middle finger in Sasha's direction. Out of the corner of her eye, Sasha first noticed Braun seated at the kitchen table. He was wearing a pair of reading glasses and seemed very fixated in the book he was reading. Sasha thought it was incredible he was able to focus on a book with the combination of Seth and Bayley arguing over Park Place and the old style radio playing slow, classical music.

"Sasha," Bayley whined. "Tell Seth to play by the rules and pay me the rent!"

Seth shook his head. "No, no, this is such bullshit. I've landed on a hotel every fuckin' turn for the last six times. This is total crap; I'm not playing anymore."

"Swear, swear, swear," Bayley shot back, throwing a dollar at Seth each time she repeated the word.

Instead of trying to break up her own little civil war, Sasha left the couch and joined Braun in the dining room. The gentle giant only glanced up at her long enough to mutter a booming 'good morning' before going back to his book.

"How do you manage to keep them blocked out?" Sasha asked, curious in Braun's abilities to silence the bickering happening less than ten yards away.

"Grew up in a big family," Braun responded, his eye never leaving the book. "You learn to block out the noise."

Sasha took a seat across the table from Braun. "What happened to them?" She asked.

Braun's neutral expression morphed into a frown. "Not here," he said simply, making it very clear he was done discussing the subject.

But Sasha wanted to know a little more. She knew pressing too hard would upset the giant and possibly result in their eviction from his home, but the scene she saw from the night before was on her mind for most of the evening.

"Braun," Sasha began cautiously. "Last night, I came down here to get a bottle of water. And I saw you in your rocking chair..."

Braun's eyes flickered from his novel to the woman sitting in front of him. Sasha's stomach sunk to the floor with the raw intensity he produced. He didn't look angry at all, just very focused.

Sasha continued. "Who was in the picture?"

Braun's eyes once again went back to his book. "My wife." He said.

"Where is she?" Sasha asked. She sensed that simple question might also push a few boundaries, but she felt like she needed to know to better understand her host.

"With my family," Braun stated.

"Oh," Sasha was starting to get the hint. Wherever Braun's family was is obviously not a good place. Maybe they were stuck inside one of the cities placed on lock-down. Or maybe they were stuck on the West Coast, trying to get to him. It made Sasha shudder to think his entire family was gone, as in forever.

Based on the awkwardness hanging in the air, Sasha could sense this conversation was over.

"What, uh, what book are you reading?" Sasha asked.

Braun smirked. " _'To Kill A Mockingbird'._ "

"Oh, yeah, I remember having to do a report on that book in high school." Sasha reminisced, cringing when she thought back on the nightmare that was high school. She then chuckled to herself at how silly it was to think high school was the biggest struggle of her life, looking back at it now.

"It was Nia's favorite," Braun said.

"Nia?" Sasha asked.

Braun frowned again. "My wife."

Sasha nodded her head slowly. "I'm sure they're safe. Where ever they are."

Braun folded the corner of the page he was on and closed the book. He sighed, taking off his readers and rubbing his eyes.

"So do I," he mumbled, getting up from his chair and shuffling into the kitchen.

Before Sasha could think of something else to say to Braun, Bayley's excited squeals grabbed her attention from the living room.

"The guy's back!" Bayley jumped to her feet, pointing at the radio. "Sasha, come listen! The guy is back!"

Through the static of the radio, the familiar voice of the mystery man from the day before could be heard.

 _"Eh, another good morning in this new world we live in, huh? Last night was a little rough on my ol' bones, but I can't complain too much. Managed to find some of that tomato soup in an abandoned camp just a few miles from this station. Not very fillin', but it's better than nothin'. Not as good as Mella's Italian sausages in that tomato sauce. Oh, let me tell ya, that girl knew how to whip up the best sausages. 'Course, she took off after we found out about Cass... Heh, Big Cass took off for Jersey to find Mella. The girl shows up the next day, lookin' for him. Then we hear over the radio the URP's dropped some bombs across Jersey... Haven't heard from Big Cass since... Shit, last thing Mella told me was to make it up here and do this radio show so she would always know I was ok while she went back for Cass... That was, uh, about a week into the war. And it's day, what, two-thirteen? So, like I says everyday, Mella and Cass, if you can hear me, Easy E's waitin' for ya back here... Anyway, enough of that sad shit, let's play some serious tuneage, huh? I think I got the hang of this thing... Yeah, there we go. Some more classics. Cass was a huge classic rock guy. Hopefully we get to meet again someday, big guy."_

As the DJ's voice faded out, Bon Jovi's _"You Give Love a Bad Name"_ began playing.

Sasha, Seth, and Bayley stayed silent as the music filled the room. Sasha, who had made her way to the sofa again while the DJ spoke, silently made eye contact with Seth. Seth looked over to Bayley, who was staring blankly at her _Monopoly_ money. It was nice to play a game and escape to a reality where their small problems seemed so big. But, they always had to remember in this war, the real problems were out there waiting.

Bayley was the first to break the silence. Her teary eyes rose from her fake money to her friends sitting around her.

"I don't want to die," she muttered, voice breaking as more tears spilled down her cheeks.

Sasha and Seth quickly surrounded the young woman, embracing her each as her shaking frame leaned against them.

"No, honey, you're not gonna die," Sasha hushed.

"Yes I will," Bayley cried.

"No you won't," Seth said. "Not until your ninety and all your great-grand babies are playing in front of you. And your grand-kids are talking with their parents. And it's all thanks to you being strong and fighting through this war that they exist. It's going to be one heck of a story you're going to tell them one day."

"Roman too?" Bayley asked.

Seth chuckled to hide the fact he was crying. "Yeah, of course. He's going to be there, sitting next to you, holding your hand and talking about all the things you two did when you were younger."

Bayley giggled. "That's one of the things he said in his wedding vows. 'I want to grow old with you and fall asleep with you in my arms every night'."

"You will get to again, Bayley," Sasha whispered. "I promise. Roman is on his way. And if you want, I can still show you how to build a fire. When Roman gets here, he'll be so proud of you."

Bayley nodded her head. "I still want to learn to do that. You can show me after breakfast."

Sasha planted a gentle kiss on the top of Bayley's head. "Sure thing, Bay."

Seth let go of the embrace to aid Braun with breakfast. Before he left, he flashed Sasha a sad smile. Sasha returned it with a wink while giving her adopted little sister a tight squeeze.

* * *

After a satisfying breakfast of eggs and bacon, Sasha and Bayley bundled themselves up for the frigid landscape outside the warmth of Braun's cabin. Sasha was keen on keeping her promise to the bubbly young women and showing her how to build a proper fire. Of course, Sasha would have Seth to thank for her fire building skills.

The two women huddled close together near the path leading up to Braun's house. The wind wasn't as wild as it was the past few days, but the air still felt like tiny needles prickling their skin every time they uncovered their faces to speak.

Sasha cleared away some snow on the gravel walkway. In her hands, she had a bundle of twigs, some old cloth, and a lighter.

"Ok, Bayley, the first thing you need to know is that the firewood needs to be dry before you light it," Sasha carefully stacked the twigs into a small pile at her feet. "If the firewood isn't dry, it won't ignite and your fire will be ruined."

Bayley nodded her head, silently wishing she stayed inside where it was warm instead of venturing out into the blistering cold.

"Then you need what they call tinder," Sasha tucked the old cloth torn from an old sock underneath the twigs. "Tinder helps get the fire started. It burns easier than the firewood does, and helps get it to take the flame," Sasha clicked her lighter a few times. The flame lit; With Sasha using her hand to block the wind from one side of the flame, she slowly lowered the lighter to the small bonfire she had set up. "Now, we light the tinder and hope it burns hot enough to ignite the firewood."

The cloth ignited right away. The sticks didn't burn right away, so Sasha added more cloth. She told Bayley adding more cloth made the fire burn hotter and increased the chances of the sticks catching fire too. But, she reminded her not to add too much or the chances of it getting lit would decrease. Finally, after adding a few more sticks, the fire burned hot enough and the wood ignited.

"Cool," Bayley praised, chuckling while she eyed the fire.

"Wanna try?" Sasha asked, holding out the proper materials towards Bayley.

The other girl nodded, eagerly taking the supplies from Sasha and piled them as instructed. Her hands steadily stacked the firewood, laid the cloth underneath, and lit the tinder. Almost immediately, the twigs caught fire and burned.

"Holy cow, I did it!" Bayley exclaimed.

Sasha's mouth fell partially agape. It had taken her multiple attempts to light a fire when she first tried. But Bayley managed to do it her very first time.

"I'll be darned," Sasha muttered, shaking her head at Bayley's luck. "Looks like you got the hang of it, Bayley. You're doing a great job."

Bayley grinned. "You think so?"

Sasha nodded. "Absolutely. You're doing a lot better than I did when I first tried making a fire."

"Thank you so much for showing me," Bayley threw her arms around Sasha. "You are the bestest friend ever, Sasha."

After a few more minutes of practicing tending to a fire, Bayley and Sasha both agreed they had stayed in the cold long enough and returned back to the warmth of the cabin.

* * *

While early evening came, the three travel companions and their gracious host sat around the dining room table. Dinner tonight was rabbit stew from the new rodent trap Braun put together earlier that day. Bayley was hesitant to try the hot meal, stating she had a pet rabbit before the country fell into war. She did ease into trying the stew after Seth insisted it was very unlikely, nearly impossible, that the rabbit they were feasting on was the one Bayley previously owned.

The conversation turned to playful chatter. Seth told a few stories about the kinds of trouble he used to get in to when he was in boy scouts. He mentioned setting the scout master's cabin on fire on a dare, which made everyone, including Braun, to laugh. Sasha talked about her old barista job back home at a Starbucks. The biggest thing she missed was getting a free venti cup of coffee with extra creamer and no sugar. Sasha went on to talk about the time she purposefully dropped a pot of coffee on a customer's shoes because he was being rude, but managed to get away with it on the insistence that it was an accident. Bayley didn't have a crazy story like the others, but she did talk about how she met her husband.

"I met him when I moved into his neighborhood when we were kids. My mom always joked about me falling in love with him ever since I started going over to his house to play video games. We went on dates and things like that, but we never really called ourselves a couple. Then, a little while after he graduated high school, he got shipped off to basic training," Bayley recalled, smiling broadly as she retold her story. "I was fifteen, he was about to turn eighteen. I knew I loved him, so I told him the day before he left. He kissed me and told me he loved me back. Then, he got shipped off to Texas to train. We wrote letters back and forth. I missed him so much; It really was the worst time of my life, waiting for him to come back home. He came back that next January. I remember crying when I got to see him again. He..." She paused to chuckle. "He proposed to me later that night. I was so excited, I said yes immediately. We got married a few weeks later. My mom had to sign a form stating it was ok, since I was still a minor. A few days from now will be our three year anniversary."

"You were sixteen when you got married?" Seth asked with a chuckle.

Bayley shrugged. "Yeah, but when you know, you know. A lot of people think our age difference back then was weird, but I didn't care. My mom and dad didn't care. His parents love me, so... I just hope you guys get to meet him. He's such a sweetheart; He really is a great guy."

Just as Bayley said that, Braun and Seth caught the shape of someone walking up the driveway.

Seth turned to the giant. "Uh, Braun-"

"Get upstairs with the girls," Braun ordered, obviously not kidding around.

Seth gathered his two friends and hurried upstairs. Sasha began to protest, but her words died in her throat when Braun reached for his shotgun.

The three friends gathered in Sasha's room. They held their breath, waiting for either a gun shot or a knock at the door. The knock came first. After a few moments of silence, Braun's voice boomed through the house.

"What do you want?" The giant asked the other person.

"I'm lookin' for someone. I'm kinda hoping you've seen her," the other man replied.

Sasha began to speak, but Bayley raised her hand and shushed her. Sasha began to ask what was going on, but Bayley shushed her again.

"It's just me here, but I can point you in the right direction," Braun stated.

"Thank you so much, sir. I'm just looking for my wife. She's about five-four, black hair, real... Uh, energetic, I guess. Her name's Bayley, she's got a sideways ponytail."

Sasha and Seth's heads snapped up to look at the named woman standing near them.

Bayley, tears in her eyes, began running for the door. Sasha and Seth called after her, but there was no stopping the young woman. Sasha and Seth chased after her down the stairs and into the living room. They came upon Braun standing near the kitchen, shotgun back in its rack. Their new friend, Bayley, was crying loudly into the coat of the man standing in the living room.

Neither Bayley nor the man spoke for the longest time. They each just stood there, holding each other and silently prolonging the explanation as to who this man was.

"Sweet alofa, I thought I'd never see you again," the man said finally, his deep bass of a voice rivaling Braun's.

"La'u toa," Bayley gasped between cries. "I knew you'd find me. I knew it, I knew it!"

The man looked over to Seth and Sasha. The joy and sadness in his eyes completely contradicted his intimidating stature.

"Thank you so much for looking after Bayley," he said, grinning brightly when the aforementioned Latina latched herself around him with a hug.

"You must be Roman then," Seth said, crossing the living room towards the couple. "Bayley's been talking about your arrival non-stop for the last few days."

Roman took a step to the side to take off his coat, but Bayley's grip around him refused to let up.

"No!" She cried, hugging her husband tighter. "You're not allowed to leave me again!"

Roman chuckled. "I'm just taking off my coat, alofa."

Bayley unhooked herself long enough for Roman to remove his jacket and hang it up before throwing herself back around his torso.

" _That's_ your husband?" Sasha asked, snickering at the noticeable great size difference. "The guy could be a professional wrestler."

Bayley giggled. "He could be," she looked up at Roman. "And I'm five-six, meanie."

The entire room laughed together. Roman shook hands with both Seth and Braun, before taking a spot at the kitchen table at Braun's insistence.

"Where have you been, mister?" Bayley scolded, clearly more happy than upset despite her choice of words.

"Looking for you," Roman said. "I found your note, by the way. It's what kept me heading this direction. I almost went the other way, but your note made me turn around," he turned towards his pack, unzipped it, and removed a bright pink unicorn from within. "You forgot this, by the way."

"Mr Buttercup!" Bayley exclaimed, taking the stuffed animal from her husband and hugging it tight. She caught the eyes of everyone else in the room and quickly stopped embracing the toy. "I mean... I can't believe you found him."

Seth snickered. "It's a family reunion for you guys. We should celebrate."

"Tomorrow," Braun boomed, walking back into the dining room from the kitchen. "For now, rest. We celebrate tomorrow."

Everyone agreed it had been a long day and Roman was more than likely exhausted from his travel. Like always, Braun remained downstairs while everyone else ventured to the second floor to their respective rooms.

* * *

 _January 31, 2025_

 _Don't mind the tear stains on this page. I'm just so happy for Bayley. Her husband showed up at the cabin today. His name is Roman and he seems like a very sweet man. I haven't gotten to speak to him that much, but tomorrow I will surely get to._

 _I did like Bayley asked and showed her how to make a fire. The lucky duck got in on her first try. I'm a little jealous, since it took me a million tries to get it once. But, now she's ready to make a fire in case she ever needs to._

 _Spirits were a little low after this morning, but luckily they've managed to pick themselves back up. I think it's a lot to do with Bayley's reunion with Roman. It's crazy she got married so young, but I can't help be so happy for her for finding her true love right away... Don't tell anyone I said this, but I hope I get to do the same some day._

 _Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks_

* * *

Sasha closed her purple notebook with a newfound sense of content moving forward in her life. Roman's return brought more hope to everyone in the household, and it was a great feeling not having to worry about the dread of not knowing what could possibly come next. It was like seeing Bayley's hope skyrocket brought everyone else's attitudes higher.

Sasha left her room to get ready for bed. After a quick shower and brushing her teeth, the now almost entirely hazel haired woman crept back to her bedroom. She made a short pause at Bayley's room, wanting to check in on her like she had made tradition since first arriving at Braun's cabin.

Sasha brought her hand up to knock before entering, but hushed giggling made her pause. Against her better judgement telling her not to intrude on other's lives, she pressed her head against the door to get a better listen.

"I missed you so much, Rome," Bayley whispered. "Don't ever leave my sight ever again."

"I'm not going anywhere, alofa, I promise," Roman replied in an equally hushed tone.

"Whatcha doin'?" Seth's sudden appearance made Sasha jump so high she felt like her head hit the ceiling.

"Uh, nothin'," Sasha whispered. "It's just adorable to hear Bayley so happy again."

Seth joined Sasha and leaned against the door. While the couple inside whispered sweet nothings to each other, Sasha and Seth looked into each other's eyes.

"I don't want to be anywhere else besides right next to you."

"I can't imagine my life with anyone else."

"Please, don't leave my sight from now on."

"I just want you and only you."

Seth smirked, as did Sasha. It's like Bayley and Roman's words were also speaking on their behalf. Sasha would be lying if she said she hadn't somewhat regretted telling her savior she didn't want him. Because, truthfully of course, she did.

Seth and Sasha began leaning in towards each other, but Bayley's voice stopped them.

"Ah, Roman that tickles," she giggled. "Oh, but it feels so good."

"What the fuck?" Sasha and Seth both muttered to each other with hushed laughter.

The two friends silently rand away from Bayley's room to the one Sasha was borrowing. Seth shut the door. As soon as he did, both he and Sasha burst out laughing.

"I'd say she's happy again," Sasha said, trying to catch her breath.

Seth found his voice again. "Were you just about to kiss me again?"

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Maybe I was... Maybe I wasn't."

"Were you?" Seth asked.

Sasha shrugged. "I was. Doesn't mean anything though. Two adults just blowing off steam when everything gets to be too much, right?"

Seth cocked an eyebrow. "Miss Banks, are you throwing my words back at me?"

Seth smirked. "Saving you from a group of bandits really made you wild, huh?"

It was Sasha's turn to grin. "Well, I always thought life's too short to wait on things, ya know? Especially now, when I could literally be killed or kidnapped or thrown in a POW camp at any moment, I think it's better to take the things you want."

Seth's smirk grew into a full smile as Sasha made her way across the room to his position. His heart skipped a beat when the dark skinned beauty dropped to her knees in front of him.

"What do you want?" Seth asked, despite knowing what Sasha's answer most likely was.

Sasha began to unfasten the pullstring on Seth's sweatpants while she gave him a sultry wink and licked her lips.

"You." She stated simply, tugging on the waistband of Seth's pants.

Sasha's efforts would be for naught, unfortunatley. Mere seconds before she could get Seth's swets low enough for her to see his manhood for the first time, Braun's thunderous voice echoed through the house.

"LIGHTS OUT!" He ordered.

Just as he said that, the sounds of gravel crunching under tires made Sasha jump to her feet. Just like before, it was several vehicles pulling up to the cabin.

When silence came, Sasha held her breath, waiting for the familiar sound of Corbin's voice to echo through the house. Instead of his terrofying hiss, a woman's voice came from downstairs. Sasha wasn't sure what she was saying exactly; The woman was speaking in a heavy accent of some kind. Braun exchanged a few words with the woman, then the cars drove away again.

"FALSE ALARM!" Braun's strong bass called to the others.

"False alarm?" Seth asked Sasha.

Sasha shook her head. "Wasn't Corbin. Are there other groups with cars?"

"Must be," Seth sighed. "Sure as shit wasn't Corbin. Sounded like a woman."

Sasha nodded her head. "I'll ask about it tomorrow. Until then, let's just get to bed."

"Bed?" Seth asked, trying hard not to smile sheepishly.

"Yes, bed," Sasha confirmed. "The thought of my demise possibly coming prematurely kinda takes away any desire to have sex. Sorry."

"No, I understand," Seth turned for the door. "I'll see you in the morning, Sasha. Good night."

"I mean," Sasha said, chuckling when Seth slammed on the brakes. "I still want to cuddle. Just no sex before. Plus, I can feel a panic attack coming along, so I'll need you here to calm me down, anyway."

Seth grinned. "It'd be my pleasure, Sasha."

Sasha rolled her eyes, pretending not to love what she was hearing. Seth allowed Sasha to get settled first before crawling in behind her and wrapping his arms around her smaller frame.


	6. Chapter 6

**Day 216**

 _February 3, 2025_

 _It's been nothing but non-stop celebrating today. It's Roman and Bayley's anniversary, and you can't go two seconds without her reminding you. I love her though. She's slowly becoming the little sister I've always wanted._

 _Braun made us a special dinner for the celebration: Venison lasagna and rabbit stew. It was delicious, as it always was._

 _It's almost dark out and there's no sign of us slowing down our celebrating. Braun brought out some homemade moonshine he'd been brewing in the basement and let's just say I'm good with only one drink._

 _Seth's been keeping close to me today, which is exactly what I need right now with this new uncertainty looming over us. I didn't get to talk to Braun yet about who showed up a few days ago, but I don't really know how to bring it up without angering him either. Still, I feel like I should work up the courage at some point._

 _Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks_

* * *

"May I have this dance?"

Sasha dropped her lucky pen in her purple notebook and closed the cover. She flashed Seth a toothy grin and rolled her eyes.

"You are so lame," she said, playfully swatting Seth on the chest.

"What? It's a party," Seth said in his defense. "Bayley and Roman have been dancing for the last few hours. Plus, we've all been drinking and having a good time."

Sasha chuckled. "Right, and then I'll have to drag your drunk ass up to bed."

Seth winked. "I only had one drink. Shit's too strong for me," he held out his hand. "C'mon, it won't kill you."

"It might," she joked, taking Seth's hand and reluctantly walking into the living room that had become the "dance hall" since the festivities began.

Roman and Bayley were dancing slowly to the tune of a slow jazz song playing on the stereo. The young woman's head rested snugly against her husband's chest; Her eyes were closed but her cheery smile gave away how excited she was to have her loved one back after he'd been gone for so long.

Seth set his hands on Sasha's hips, while she wrapped her arms around his neck. They stayed a respectful distance from each other, but close enough to show the little affection they'd accumulated since Seth saved Sasha's life.

"Snow's starting to finally slow down," Seth commented. "Won't be too long before we're back on the road."

Sasha nodded her head. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that. Few more weeks and we'll be leaving. I don't think I'll be ready to go yet."

"Me neither," Seth agreed. "Waking up to warm food and clean clothes and not having to fight off bandits is a dream come true. But, we did promise Braun we'd be out by the time Spring came."

Sasha nodded. Braun's hospitality in recent weeks was more than generous, especially in the way the country was at the moment. He didn't need to let them into his home and feed them and let them stay warm. But he did. And Sasha would forever be in his debt for letting them stay these last couple days. Now the idea of leaving seemed like such a far off idea, like they had been living with Braun since the very beginning and leaving made no sense.

"Your purple hair's almost all gone." Seth commented, brushing some of Sasha's hair out of her eyes.

Sasha dropped her head. "I hate my natural hair color. I'd kill for a box of dye, right about now."

"Would you?" Seth asked.

"Kill for a box of hair dye? Absolutely." Sasha reiterated.

"No, I mean, actually kill someone," Seth's voice was low in order not to disturb the couple on the other side of the room. "For whatever reason, you think you could do it?"

Sasha shrugged. "I mean, you've killed people before. Those bandits that tried hurting me-"

"That was in the spur of the moment and I had no other choice," Seth said, cutting Sasha off. He sighed. "I mean, like, if Bayley or I was in danger. Do you think you could step up and take a life?"

Sasha lifted her brow in worry. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Just want to know if you'd do the same for me," Seth clarified. "I'd do anything to protect you, Sasha. I know we argue and fight a lot, but you're becoming one of my closest friends. I care about you, a lot, and I want you to know that, as long as I'm here, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're safe."

Sasha's eyes began watering. "Why are you talking like you're saying goodbye? I thought you were going to Stamford with me."

"I am, and I will make sure you get there, no matter what it takes," Seth pressed his lips to Sasha's forehead and pulled her into his chest just as the first few tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm not saying I'm dying tomorrow, Sasha, but in this world we can't know for sure when our time is up. So I need you to know that I will do everything in my power that you get somewhere safe. Ok?"

"You aren't allowed to leave me," Sasha chuckled ruefully. "I know I can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but you aren't going anywhere without me coming with. You understand?"

Seth kissed the top of Sasha's head. "I do, Sash."

Sasha took a deep breath. "If I had to, and it was either you or them, I'd kill anyone who'd try to hurt us. Corbin... Just thinking about what he did to sweet Bayley makes my fuckin' skin crawl."

"I know, Sasha," Seth assured, rubbing the woman's back while they gently swayed to the music. "We'll get him back one day. I'm not sure how, but we will."

Sasha nodded her head. "I know, Seth."

The two young adults continued dancing slowly in each other's arms. The music slowly faded out after a few more moments. Seth loosened his grip on Sasha, but kept her within arms length. She flashed him a bashful smirk, then raised herself on her toes and brushed her lips against his cheek.

"I'm gonna go take a shower, ok? Sasha spoke. "Then I want you to cuddle with me. I know you were just telling me how you feel, and I want you to know I feel the same way, but I'm a little rattled so I need someone to hold me while I freak the fuck out for a little while."

Seth nodded his head. "Ok, I'll be up soon. Just gonna celebrate for a little bit more with Mr and Mrs Smiley Face and I'll be up."

Sasha nodded her head. She pecked Seth's lips almost as fast as a bolt of lightning, but it correctly showcased her feelings towards the man who saved her life. Seth smirked, nodding his head and chuckling under his breath when Sasha excused herself to go upstairs.

* * *

The cleansing hot water was exactly what Sasha needed at the moment. The seriousness of her conversation with Seth scared her a little bit, but the talk was necessary. Sasha meant what she said. She'd do whatever it took to ensure Bayley or Seth made it to Stamford safely. Whether or not she'd actually have to take a life still weighed heavily on her shoulders. She went into this war thinking that no one is right to take another life, but what if they were trying to take yours? It just made her head spin.

Sasha shook her head, not liking the way her mind was swerving. She shut the water off, dried herself, then changed into a comfortable pair of sweats and looked at herself in the mirror. Seth was right, here purple hair was almost completely gone and replaced by her natural chestnut brown hair. She rolled her eyes and made her way back to her room. From what she could hear, Roman and Bayley were still downstairs for their anniversary party.

Seated on the edge of Sasha's bed was Seth. He glanced up at her as she walked in and chuckled. Sasha was about to ask what was so funny, but her jaw dropped once she realized he was reading through her purple notebook.

"Dude, Seth, not cool," Sasha berated, swiping the spiral notebook from his grasp. "This is supposed to be a private journal. That means you aren't allowed to touch it."

"How much of that is bullshit?" Seth asked.

Sasha tossed the notebook onto her desk. "About what?"

"About how you feel about me?" Seth asked.

Sasha sighed. "Seth, I don't want this lame will they, won't they romance with you. If this were another world, where I wasn't on my toes waiting for a bullet to hit me between the eyes, then yes I would absolutely want you. But, that's just not the world we live in anymore, ok? You're a great guy, Seth..." She gently placed her hands on his shoulders. "...You're my hero, and I'll be forever in your debt because I can never repay you for saving my life. You and your whole aura just... God, why can't things be normal? I'd so totally make you drive me to some grubby Mom n' Pop diner where we'd talk for hours until they kick us out. But we may never get that back and we are stuck fighting for our survival while politicians sit back and watch us kill each other. I know I said life is too fucking short to wait on things..."

"Then what's stopping you?" Seth asked.

Sasha shook her head. "Nothing," she pressed her lips against Seth's. "Nothing is stopping me," she kissed him again. "Seth, please understand that I do want you and I am thankful you're here to protect me. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"You want to have sex with me, but you don't because that's not what's important right now," Seth stated.

Sasha nodded her head. "Seth, honestly, if these were normal circumstances, we would've had sex A LOT by now."

Seth chuckled. "Don't worry, Sasha. I understand. I mean, vice versa, I would be doing the same thing."

"Really?" Sasha asked.

"Probably," Seth shrugged. "I just wish there was a way to tell you that I love you without saying it or having sex, ya know?"

Sasha brow lifted. "You... You love me?"

Seth nodded. "Of course. You annoy me, you're bossy, you are stubborn as hell, you're so beautiful."

Sasha once again pushed her lips against Seth's, only this time with more power behind it. Seth laid back; Sasha crawled on top of him and straddled his lap.

"Is this happening?" Sasha whispered.

"It doesn't have to," Seth replied. "I promise you nothing will be different between us. I'm still getting you to Stamford no matter what happens," he cradled her face between his chapped hands. "I love you, Sasha. I promise I'll be here for you no matter what."

Sasha smiled. "I love you too," she pecked Seth's chin then sat back. Sasha untied the pull string on Seth's pants and tugged them low enough to finally expose him to her. She covered her mouth to muffle a chuckle. "Jesus, Seth, ever heard of a trimmer?"

"What? It hasn't exactly crossed my mind since the war started." Seth chuckled.

Sasha pecked Seth's lips one more time. She giggled nervously, then lowered her head to begin.

"LIGHTS OUT!"

Braun's thunderous voice brought another quick end to Seth and Sasha's coital attempts. Sasha sprang to her feet the exact moment headlights illuminated the cabin.

"Corbin?" Seth asked, joining Sasha by the window.

Sasha shook her head. "Could be. Or maybe that woman from the other day?"

Bayley and Roman swiftly entered Sasha's bedroom. "Are you two ok?" The muscular Samoan asked. "What the hell's going on?"

"Braun makes us shut the lights off and keep quiet when bandits show up," Sasha informed. "He trades off with a few of them every few weeks and they leave him alone."

"He trades with Corbin," Bayley told her husband.

Sasha's blood boiled a little hotter when Roman pulled Bayley into his arms. Someday, for the sake of Bayley, they were going to put an end to him.

The car doors outside started closing. The quarto of people waited for the blood churning voice of Corbin to be heard speaking to Braun downstairs... But nothing came for the longest time.

"Heeeeeeey, hey, Bayley," Came a voice from outside; Everyone's heartbeats skipped a beat from the unmistakable sound of Corbin. "I wanna know, if you'll be my girl. C'mon, sweetheart, I know you're here."

Bayley whimpered into Roman's chest. Seth and Sasha shared a look, each wondering what was going to happen next.

"I know you're here, beautiful," Corbin yelled from outside. "You see, Gable and Jordan both saw your dear old husband show up to this cabin. Now that would be fine, I could just kill everyone in sight if I really wanted to, but it struck my curiosity when the boys told me he didn't leave the next day. Now why would a man who's looking for his wife stay at one place for longer than a day? Wouldn't he want to keep looking? Yes, he would, unless he found her there and decided to stay."

"Guys, we gotta get out of here now," Roman whispered to the rest of the group. "If we stay any longer, he'll kill all of us. Grab what you can and let's try to sneak out of here."

"Roman," Corbin called from outside. "I know you're up there too. So, how about I give you to the count of ten before I have all of my men storm into the house and shoot everyone in sight? Of course, Bayley would be the sole exception. She is carrying my child after all."

"Now," Roman whispered to the others.

"Ten Mississippi!"

Sasha grabbed her coat. She rolled her notebook up and tucked it in her jacket pocket.

"Nine Mississippi!"

Sasha hurried down the stairs to the living room. Her heart nearly stopped in her chest when her eyes adjusted to the faint glow of the fire place and saw Braun standing at the ready at the front door with his trusty shotgun slung over his shoulder.

"Eight Mississippi!"

"Braun!" Sasha called to the massive man. "We gotta go! Please, Braun!"

"Seven Mississippi!"

Braun shook his head. "It's my time now. You run, little one. Far away." He cocked his gun and readied it against his shoulder.

"Six Mississippi!"

Seth, Roman, and Bayley came rushing down the stairs.

"Ready?" Seth asked Sasha. He turned to Braun. "What the hell is he doing?"

"He's staying back," Sasha said, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Five Mississippi!"

"Braun!" Seth said; Braun turned his head. Seth nodded. "Thank you, for everything."

Braun nodded his head.

"Four Mississippi!"

Bundling together at the back door, the group slowly ventured into the cold. After they made sure the coast was clear, they started hurriedly rushing into the woods behind the cabin.

"They're getting away!"

The first gunshot whizzed past Sasha ear. She couldn't hear what Seth had screamed to them, but she started sprinting as hard as she could when he pushed against her back.

Gunfire erupted like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Sasha, lungs burning and legs straining for a break, refused to surrender to the angry voices and gunfire following her deeper into the forest. She didn't even know which direction Seth, Bayley, or Roman went. She just knew her best chance at getting away alive was to just keep running.

Finally, she came to the other side of the wooded area. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath when she came onto a stretch of highway. She bent over, sweat pouring down her face along with her terrified tears while her lungs burned for oxygen.

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and threw her down into the ditch. Sasha opened her mouth to scream, but the attackers hand covered her mouth before she could.

"Not a fuckin' word," the person hissed. "You want to live? Keep yer mouth shut!"

Sasha watched the hooded figure roll next to her. They laid there for the longest time, listening as bandits ran past them and yelled to each other. At one point, a man from Corbin's group came within five feet from her, but his attention was taken from another bandit before she was spotted by him.

What felt like hours ticked by. Finally, the hooded figure crawled to her knees; Sasha came to that conclusion after hearing the person speak. Her accent sounded very familiar, but Sasha wasn't sure from what.

"Stand up slowly," the figure ordered. "Don't make any sudden moves."

The figure whistled sharply. One by one, Sasha watched in awe as several dozen more figures emerged from the other side of the road and around her position. Sasha nearly yelled in surprise when another figure stood up a few feet in front of her.

"Are you alone?" The woman asked.

Sasha shook her head. "I have three others with me. I lost them in the woods."

The figure dropped her hood. She was indeed a woman, but her fiery orange hair is what Sasha took note of first before anything.

"Come with me, we'll 'elp you find yer people," the woman told Sasha.

Sasha nodded her head. "Ok." She whispered, following the woman onto the stretch of highway.


	7. Chapter 7

Sasha didn't dare speak out of turn. The group of people that came to her aid followed behind the woman with the fiery orange hair. Everything about the woman intimidated Sasha, from her black leather jacket to the holster on her belt with a massive hunting knife concealed inside. Still, as horrible as it sounded, Sasha felt safer around this woman she did not know than being alone for Corbin to find her.

Sasha followed along through the woods silently. She tried seeing the faces of the others, but she couldn't make them out from a mix of the darkness and their hoods or masks.

The woman with the orange hair would mutter something into a radio every now and again. Sasha tried to listen and hear if anyone found any of her people, but it was too hard to understand the woman or the person she was talking to because of the hushed tones the woman was speaking in and the broken voice coming through the static.

"Almost there," one of the masked men told Sasha. "Walking's a pain in the ass, but it's necessary."

"Where are you taking me?" Sasha asked.

"Our camp-"

"Shut it, Lieutenant!" Becky hissed from the front of the group. "Ya tryin' ta get us all killed?"

The man beside Sasha shook his head. "Don't worry about fire crotch," he whispered in her ear. "She hasn't been laid in a week, so she's a little on edge."

Sasha, despite her unrelenting fear, managed to crack a smile.

* * *

Soon, a clearing came and Sasha saw they were nearing a small town. The woman in charge signaled at her group and everyone crouched down. Walking for a few hours was a pain in the ass and hurt her legs, but Sasha didn't know how much longer she could put up with crouching and trying to walk at the same time.

The orange haired woman led the group to a shelled out building that must've been a school at some point. The group entered through the front entrance, through some deserted hallways, then down a set of stairs towards the back of the building. The group halted on the staircase while their leader approached the metal door.

The woman raised her fist to the door. _KNOCK KNOCK, SCRATCH, KNOCK KNOCK, SCRATCH_

The door popped open and a tall bald man with several dozen tattoos stood in the doorway.

"Oh, sir, it's you," the man addressed the woman. "Come right in. Dozer and Tucker just made dinner."

The woman nodded once at the man, then signaled everyone to follow her. Sasha saw the guard at the door look at her curiously as she passed, but she didn't dare look in his direction in case she accidentally pissed him off.

The long hallway came to another door. The woman pushed it open to unveil an open area that looked like a small cafeteria. Much to Sasha's surprise, a dozen or more people occupied the room and going about their day.

"Check yer weapons and get some supper," the woman told everyone. "We did good tonight. Get some rest before we head out and scavenge tomorrow."

The man who talked to Sasha in the woods pulled his hood down and removed his face cover. "Man, these things are itchy as fuck," the man said out loud, probably not to anyone in particular, as he scratched at the stubble on his chin and jaw.

"Sir," another follower called after the woman. "What do we do with her?" Sasha saw that the man was pointing in her direction.

The woman with the orange hair nodded towards a different end of the room. "Get her checked in and get her a bed."

"Yes, sir," the man replied.

"I got 'er." the man the leader called 'Lieutenant' before told the other follower. "We bonded pretty well in the forest and I think she was checking me out." He winked at Sasha, letting her know he was just being a smartass in front of the others.

The Lieutenant led Sasha to a room off to an office at the far end of the room after giving his rifle and handgun to a man standing behind a metal chain link fence. 'The Armory' the Lieutenant pointed out when he clicked his safety on and handed over his weapons.

Inside the office, a small woman with bright blonde hair walked out of a room off to the side. She was in the process of getting dressed and her blonde locks were tangled from slumber.

"Hey, there, darlin', sorry to wake you," the Lieutenant said with a smirk.

The woman rolled her eyes. "Lieutenant Ambrose, with what do I owe the pleasure?"

Ambrose nodded in Sasha's direction. "Got a new girl here. Found her running from Corbin a few hours ago."

"Corbin?" The woman repeated with wide eyes. She switched her focus to Sasha. "H-How the hell did you escape?"

Sasha shrugged. "I just... Ran, as fast as I could. I was so scared, I didn't think I was going to make it out alive."

"Not a lot of people do," Ambrose said solemnly, a far off look in his eyes.

The woman retrieved a book from her desk. She opened it towards the middle and turned it around to face Sasha.

"Just put your name, age, and date of birth here," the woman handed Sasha a pen. "Feel free to leave out your last name. Most folks just put their first."

Ambrose leaned over the desk. "So, Miss Bliss, what are you're plans after this?"

Miss Bliss rolled her eyes. "I'm going back to bed, Lieutenant. And no, before you so inappropriately ask, you cannot come with me."

Ambrose put his hands up in mock defense. "What makes you think I was going to say that? I was going to ask if you wanted to join me for dinner this evening."

"I already ate, sir," Miss Bliss smirked rather sarcastically. "That means it's just you and your thoughts tonight."

"Ouch, keep the gloves up, miss," Ambrose snickered. He looked at Sasha. "That's my Lexi, by the way. Always playing hard to get."

Miss Bliss sighed heavily and shook her head. "All done?" She asked Sasha. Sasha nodded her head and Miss Bliss took the book back. "Ok, Sasha, your room will be in the east hall. You'll have a roommate, but he's in the infirmary right now."

"Do you have anyone named Seth or Bayley here?" Sasha asked.

Miss Bliss scanned over the list of names for a moment. "Hmmm, no I don't see anyone named that here. I wouldn't worry too much about people you're looking for. Miss Lynch has a second group out right now looking for any civilians."

"Miss Lynch?" Sasha asked.

"Fire crotch," Ambrose recalled. "Ya know, orange hair, deep voice, demands everyone calls her 'sir'."

Sasha nodded her head slowly, trying to take it all in. "Right. Can I be showed my room?"

"Yeah, I can do that," Ambrose turned to Miss Bliss. "I'll see you later, darlin'."

Miss Bliss shook her head again as Ambrose gave her a wink. He held the door for Sasha, then followed her out into the common area.

"Hungry?" Ambrose asked Sasha.

Sasha shook her head, but didn't say anything.

Ambrose nodded. "Cool. Well, if you change your mind, feel free to help yourself to the food."

"What is this place?" Sasha asked, scanning her eyes around the room.

"I'll give you a tour in the morning," Ambrose stated. "For now, just get some rest. I'm tired and hungry as fuck, so I'll show you to your room and bounce."

Sasha followed close behind Ambrose. She tried to take in as much as the common room as she could before being taken into another long hallway. Each room she passed looked like multiple bedrooms. Eventually, Ambrose stopped at the end of the hall and opened the door.

"This is you, kid," Ambrose told Sasha as he stepped aside to let her into her new room. "Your roomie is still in the infirmary, but we'll let him know you're here. He's a newbie too."

With that, Ambrose left the room, leaving Sasha alone. Deciding she too was exhausted from her night of walking through the woods, Sasha bundled herself underneath the blankets of one of the two twin sized beds in the room. For now, she'd drift into an uneasy sleep. Hopefully tomorrow she'd get some of the answers she was looking for.


	8. Chapter 8

**Day 217**

 _February 4, 2025_

 _I freaked the fuck out when I woke up this morning. I didn't recognize this dungeon at first, but it slowly came back to me._

 _I still have no idea if Seth or Bayley are alive. I have to ask somebody here and find out. I have to make sure they're ok._

 _Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks_

* * *

Sasha wasn't too eager to venture out of her assigned bedroom in the fortified basement of what she thought had to have been some kind of school at one point prior to the war. Still, she needed answers. Seth and Bayley were out there somewhere and she needed to find them or at least know they're safe.

Sasha followed the hallway in the direction she thought was the open area she was in the night before. She sighed in relief when she did enter the cafeteria from last night and saw it full of a couple dozen strangers. Among the chatter of people she didn't know, the one person she did sort of know, Lieutenant Ambrose, wasn't within eyesight. The dim fluorescent lights flickered periodically and gave Sasha a headache. It was nowhere near the comfort Braun's cabin brought, but at least she wasn't out in the open.

Sasha frowned. It was painfully obvious the gentle giant that housed three total strangers didn't make it out of the battle with Corbin's group alive. But, it gave Sasha a little bit of hope when she remembered that he was at least with his family now. And because he had sacrificed himself to protect Sasha, Bayley, Roman and Seth, Sasha knew she'd never forget him.

Sasha decided to ask around for Ambrose. She approached a metal table where a lone woman was sitting. The woman had her knees pulled against her chest and she was muttering to herself. She gave Sasha the creeps, but that didn't make her hesitate.

"Um, excuse me?" Sasha asked, making the woman pause. "Do you know where Lieutenant Ambrose is?"

"I know, I know," the woman started to mutter with a crazed giggle. "I know, I know."

Suddenly, the woman lunged at Sasha with a primitive growl, making the young woman shout and jump back into the wall. The woman giggled to herself before huddling again in her seat.

"Fucking psycho," Sasha mumbled. She left the cackling crazy person to herself and walked away.

The next best guess to find Ambrose was Miss Bliss. The blonde woman was kind and spoke to Sasha kindly in the brief exchange they shared while Sasha signed in the night before. Since Ambrose apparently had a thing for her, Sasha figured Miss Bliss would've seen him at some point during the course of the last few hours.

Without knocking, Sasha opened the door to the office. She stepped inside and let the door close behind her.

"Dean, stop! STOP!"

Sasha's eyes widened and she quickly pulled her gaze from the couple across the room from her. She didn't expect to see Ambrose in Miss Bliss's office so early in the morning, nor did she think she'd ever have to see him roughly thrusting his hips against the tiny blonde while she sat atop a file cabinet either.

"Ah, shit," Ambrose cursed.

"I-I didn't mean to walk in on you guys," Sasha called over her shoulder, not daring to turn around until given the all clear.

"You're fine, hun, just give us a second," Miss Bliss replied.

Sasha heard them talk to each other in hushed tones and whispers. After a few minutes, Ambrose cleared his throat and tapped Sasha on the shoulder.

"You can look," Ambrose said, his voice showing clear hints of annoyance. "Everyone's decent again... Unfortunately."

Alexa rolled her eyes at Ambrose. "What did you need, Sasha?" She asked the woman across from her.

"I was actually looking for him," Sasha pointed to Ambrose. "But it looks like you found him for me." She managed an awkward chuckle, but didn't get any laughter in response.

"Right, I gotta give you a tour," Ambrose winked to the secretary before he stepped out into the cafeteria.

Alexa smiled softly. "He's actually not a bad guy when you get to talk to him," she told Sasha. "He's a total dickhead on the outside, but he's a sweetheart on the inside."

Sasha nodded once, unsuccessfully breaking the tension in the room, then followed Ambrose out of the office.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed the show, but time for business," Ambrose said to the brunette woman when she joined him.

Sasha nodded. "Right, the tour-"

"Will come after breakfast," Ambrose gestured Sasha to follow him. "Tucker and Otis are two of the best cooks this side of the Mississippi. Otis is from Wisconsin and Tucker is from Louisiana or some shit, and oh holy fuck can they make a good stew."

Ambrose led Sasha past the woman that snapped at her earlier. The woman giggled under her breath when she noticed Sasha, but she smiled brightly when Ambrose caught her eye.

"Nikki, how are you this morning?" Ambrose asked the woman.

"Nikki wants to play," the woman growled, chilling grin spread across her face.

Ambrose grinned in return. "Good, Nikki will play later when we scavenge. I think The Man needs her a crack shot when we hit up the Bank later."

Nikki cackled wildly in response, then went back to muttering to herself.

"The hell is her problem?" Sasha asked Dean when they walked away.

"Nikki? She's a little bat shit insane. I mean, I think I would be too if I watched my entire family die in a fire while the ones who escape got gunned down by Corbin's thugs."

Sasha looked back at the woman she labeled a psycho before. Nikki was still talking to herself and giggling. Now that she knew the true reason behind her abnormal behavior, Sasha felt guilty for jumping to such rash conclusions before she knew why Nikki was acting strangely.

"But, she's a dead eye when's she's lucid," Ambrose continued. "Best shot when she knows what's going on around her. Bit of a basket case when she slips into psychosis."

Ambrose joined a line of people in front of a window that led to a kitchen. Sasha caught the scent of whatever it was that was being served and her mouth started to salivate. Whatever the option was smelled just like venison stew. If that was the case, Sasha couldn't wait until she got to have her new favorite meal again.

"So, what kind of things do you wanna know about this little family here?" Ambrose asked.

Sasha shrugged. "I dunno, like, what this all is?"

"Used to be a school back before the war," Ambrose confirmed. "Built in the eighties during the Cold War with an underground bunker in the odd chance the Russians actually did blow us all to kingdom come. They didn't, but the fucking morons in DC did, so we got ourselves a new home."

Sasha noticed at the front of the room a long metal table seating at least five people. The one that stood out was the orange haired apparent leader Sasha met the night before.

"What's her name? The one with the orange hair?" Sasha asked.

"You call her either sir or The Man," Ambrose stated. "Nothing else. Call her something she doesn't like and you're on your ass. She's our leader, and a damn fine one, and she doesn't fuck around. The chick to her right, the blonde one with the big fake tits, is Queen Charlotte. You call her anything but Queen and you answer to The Man. Wonder what that entails? Go ahead and test them."

Sasha did notice the blonde woman sitting close to Lynch, with her head resting on her shoulder. Lynch nudged her head away, but then whispered something in her ear and kiss the blonde on the cheek.

"What about the others at the table?" Sasha asked.

"People you don't want to piss off," Ambrose stated. "Me, when I'm sitting there. The two at the end, Johnny and Candice, handle explosives and shit. I once saw them build a bomb out of baking soda and a shoe box. Killed three people, no lie."

Johnny and Candice fiddled with a mass of wires and metal Sasha couldn't even begin to comprehend. Candice connected a wire to a circuit board, which then made a set of number flash on a small screen. Johnny's eye lit up and he laughed.

"Last guy, black dude with the sleeve tat, is Thomas. We just call him Ricochet." Ambrose said.

"Why?" Sasha asked.

"Dude can fly around the room like a rebounding bullet," Ambrose stated. "He's like a real life Quicksilver, if he was made out of rubber."

Ricochet, sat at the opposite end of the table from Johnny and Candice, spoke to a pair of women who were very obviously trying to win his affections.

"Nikki usually sits with The Man too, when she's lucid," Ambrose concluded. "And that's it. The Queen's Court, is what Lexi calls it. Even though Charlotte doesn't actually hold any authority... Don't tell her I said that."

Sasha chuckled. "Noted."

After a few more moments of small chit chat, Sasha and Ambrose reached the front of the line. Two men, one at least a foot taller than the other, greeted them as they stepped up.

"Lieutenant," the taller one said with a grin. "Good to see you. Who's the newbie?"

"Sasha," Sasha introduced herself.

"Well, Sasha, Otis and I whipped up some rabbit stew," the taller man turned to the shorter one. "Otis, say hi to the new girl."

The one called Otis stared at Sasha without saying anything. "Tucky," he suddenly muttered. "Purty lady, Tucky."

"Tucky" patted the shorter man on the back. "Yes, Otis, she's very pretty. How about you go and start dishes," the smaller man grunted, then walked away. "Sorry about little brother, miss. He isn't used to seeing new people."

Sasha offered a polite smile. "Thank you for the food. It smells delicious."

Ambrose led the somewhat scared Sasha away from the window. As she walked away, Sasha caught Otis watching her over the counter. He grunted again, then waddled away back into the kitchen.

"Does it matter where I sit?" Sasha asked.

"Sit with me," Ambrose instructed as he headed for the table with the group's leader.

Ambrose took a seat on the bench directly across from Lynch and Charlotte. Sasha, exchanging looks with the others, nervously sat beside Dean.

"Who's she?" Lynch asked without looking up from her bowl of stew.

"Newbie from last night," Ambrose clarified.

"That tells me nothin', Ambrose," Lynch hissed.

"The one we grabbed from Corbin," as soon as the name left his lips, Lynch's head snapped up.

"That was you?" Ricochet asked, turning his attention away from the women he was speaking to.

Sasha nodded. "Yeah, he attacked my group."

"And you made it out alive?" Candice questioned.

"Yeah, I did," Sasha decided keeping her answers simple and short was a safer bet than saying too much and possibly annoy any of the people focused on her.

"You're very lucky," Charlotte said with precise enunciation. "My wife tells me horrible things about this Corbin person. I can't imagine the things you've been through."

"Thank you..." Dean nudged Sasha with his elbow. "Queen?" She quickly added, earning a smirk of approval from Charlotte.

"Yer luck'll run out at some point," Lynch stated coldly.

"Did you find anyone else from my group, sir?" Sasha asked. "They were with me before we were attacked, but-"

"With all do respect, girlie, yer friends are all probably dead," Lynch cut in. "You was lucky enough to escape by the skin of yer teeth. Don't mean no friends of yers were as lucky."

Sasha didn't say anything. She nodded her head, then tried to brush off Lynch's words and try to eat her stew.

"So, what's the plan?" Ambrose asked his boss. "We still plan on hitting the Bank or are we sticking with the usual shit? 'Cuz I know we can get in and out quick with this plan I thought of."

"After I'm done with ma food, Lieutenant," Lynch growled. "Meet me in ma office after you find this plank somethin' ta do."

Sasha didn't take kindly to the offhanded insult from The Man, but she knew better than to speak out of turn.

"She's good at scavenging," Ambrose said, catching Sasha off guard. "She can come with us later. Got a keen eye for seeing shit we can use."

Becky's gaze flickered back to Sasha. "Can you shoot?"

Sasha hadn't actually mentioned to Ambrose her scavenging skills at all, but she figured he was trying to catch her a break with the boss. "I'm better with a knife, sir," Sasha said.

Becky thought it over for a second, then nodded her head. "Ok, fine. Don't get yerself killed out there. Candice's knee is still fucked, so we need an extra hand out there."

Candice jumped in. "I can help, sir-"

"Then run to ma office and fetch me ma knife," Lynch spat. "And I mean run. If you can make it there and back without fallin' over, then I'll think about it." Candice didn't reply. "I didn't think so," Lynch growled.

Candice threw Sasha a dirty look, which Sasha didn't think was necessary but decided not to bring it up.

"Finish eatin', then we'll meet in ma office," Lynch told the table. "We'll head out soon."

* * *

Ambrose showed Sasha what was left of the facility she hadn't already seen. The infirmary, where her roommate and a few others were being treated, was attended by another short blonde woman named Dana. Unfortunately, the nurse had no record of anyone named Seth or Bayley being admitted to her care.

Dean led Sasha to a back hallway that stemmed away from the one used to get to her bedroom. A lone guard, much like the man standing at the front door but without the tattoos, nodded at Ambrose and stepped aside to allow him to knock on the office door.

"Come in," came a stern voice Sasha quickly identified belonged to The Man.

Dean and Sasha entered the office. Lynch stood behind a mahogany desk with a map stretched out over the surface. Queen Charlotte stood beside, looking disinterested at what her wife was saying, but still kept her royal like presence. Johnny and Candice stood together on one end with Ricochet on the other. Nikki, for her part, was sitting in the corner of the room while she muttered incoherently to herself.

"What's the plan?" Ambrose asked, joining the others at the desk.

"Money in the Bank," Lynch stated, pointing at a section of the map within a large red circle. "Scouts are sayin' no one's touched it in days. If that's the case, then we better get to it now before someone else does."

"What's Money in the Bank?" Sasha asked.

"It's a part of the city with the most good shit to grab," Candice stated in a strangely hostile tone. "On the downside, it's guarded by almost every faction and gang this side of the country."

"Basically, it's a death run," Ricochet stated. "Not a lot of people make it back once they hit it. It's like a fucked up version of capture the flag, except you die if you don't make it back home."

Sasha nodded. "What do I do?"

"Since you apparently can't shoot," Lynch tossed Sasha a backpack. "You'll be our runner."

"Runner?" Sasha echoed.

"Hope yer quick on yer feet, girlie," Lynch's smirk gave Sasha chills. "One wrong step and you'll either blow yerself up or get yer head blown off."

"Just grab the good shit and run out," Johnny added. "We'll provide cover fire. If shit goes bad, Ricochet will come in after you."

Lynch pointed at another circle on the map, this one being smaller and inside the other. "We're taking this gas station. Should be a fuck ton of bottled water and medical supplies. We have plenty of food and enough batteries to last us until the end of the century. Just get as much water and meds as you can and get out. Think you can handle that?"

Sasha, realizing she didn't have a choice, nodded her head. "Yes, sir. I won't let you down."

"Oh, don't speak so soon, lass," Lynch said with a sinister chuckle. "Last person to say that was Candice and she nearly got her foot chopped off."

"I got away just fine-"

"And yer still no use to me, are ya?" Lynch cut off the blonde with a stern string of words. Candice shook her head and threw Sasha another dirty look. "Ambrose," Lynch continued. "Get this one a knife and another bag. She's gonna need two if we want any hope of bringing back good shit."

Ambrose nodded. "You got it, sir."

"Alright, we head out in thirty," Lynch stated. "We're in and out. Nothin' else."

"Sir, before we go," Sasha said, bringing full attention to herself. "Is there any news about my friends?"

Lynch chuckled. "Sweetheart, yer better off acceptin' that yer friends are dead. If they ain't here by now, they ain't alive no more."

"That's not fair, I-"

"Not fair? You want to talk about not fair, lass, tell me if this sounds fair. Did you come to this country when you was twelve to start from the dirt and work yer way up? Did you struggle to raise t'ree kids and yer sick mum 'cause yer dad was too much of a drunk to raise his family? Did you, after all yer hard work and all the bullshite you went through, get everythin' taken away from you because a couple of bureaucrats couldn't keep their dicks in their pants? Did you come around to find yer home in ash and rubble and find the remains of yer loved ones charred to the bone?"

Sasha dropped her gaze to the floor. "No, sir."

"Then I'd shut my fookin' mouth if I were you," Lynch snapped. "Do yer job, don't get yerself shot, and maybe I'll trust ya enough to scrap the blood of me boots. Until then, shut yer damn mouth and do what I tell you."

"Yes, sir," Sasha said.

"Ambrose, get her another backpack and a knife," Lynch said. "I don't want to hear another word out of her until she has what I need."

"Yes, sir," Ambrose nodded his head, then led Sasha out the door again.

* * *

Sasha stood in silence while Ambrose strapped a backpack tightly to her back. He handed her a empty duffel bag, then strapped a knife harness to her leg.

"Should be good to go," Ambrose said with a shrug. "If not, say hi to my grandma for me."

Sasha chuckled dryly, drawing a loud laugh from Ambrose.

Lynch pulled her wife close to her person. She rested her forehead against Charlotte's. "I'll be back soon, my love," The Man promised, then pecked the blonde on the lips.

Johnny and Candice exchanged a hug before Candice stepped back into the crowd of people saying goodbye to the job crew.

Ambrose winked to Alexa, who seemed to be the most emotional out of anybody else there.

"Just takin' the main boys this time," Lynch told the group. "Couple of extra hands too. We're headed into the Bank, so the fewer numbers the better. If we're not back by sundown, assume the worst. If not, we'll drink like champions when we come back."

The Man's words garnered a cheer from the residents of the underground bunker. With one more kiss to the Queen's lips, Lynch led her small group to the outside world.

Sasha squinted hard against the blinding sunlight. It had to have been early morning, almost midday perhaps. The sun was out, but it was still ice cold with the winter still in full swing.

"Fuckin' wish it was spring already," Ricochet commented.

Lynch led the group through a back route behind the shelled out school. The small town was about half a mile down the road. Nikki, muttering to herself crazily, shuffled beside Sasha. Sasha knew Nikki was harmless to friendlies, but the manic woman kept fiddling with the safety of her gun and had the barrel aimed down at her own feet.

Ambrose, walking at the head of the group, said something to Lynch. Lynch held up her fist, making the group come to a stop.

Sasha was about to ask why they stopped moving, but then her eye caught a small group of people near the treeline on the other side of the road. She couldn't tell if it was Corbin or not, but she really hoped Lynch wasn't going to take any chances.

Lynch whistled sharply, then blew a long, low note. Someone from the other group whistled back in the same fashion.

"It's the twins," Becky told the others. "Safeties on, but be ready."

Sasha's group marched into the middle of the street. The other group, led by two identical twin sisters, met them in the middle.

"Nikki, Brie," Lynch said with a deep monotone.

"Sir," both twins said at the same time.

"I assume you'll be leavin' us be today," Lynch said.

One of the twins, Sasha figured it was the one called Nikki, nodded her head. "We just need food. We've helped you before, so we hope you can do the same for us," she turned to her group and brought forward a shy looking blonde woman. "We'll give you her in exchange for your cooperation."

Lynch chuckled. "I'm a married woman."

"Then give her to one of your officers," Brie said. "She doesn't serve us any purpose anymore."

Lynch looked the girl over, then shrugged her shoulders. "Fine. But I get half of what we find."

"Thirty five," both twins said at the same time.

"Half, and I won't gun down yer men for suggestin' such an insulting bargain and fuck this slut in front of t'e survivors," Lynch's words sent a chill down Sasha's spine. Sure, it might've been a scare tactic, but she wouldn't be surprised if Lynch actually went through with it. "We have triple the people you have with half the supplies. A community slut doesn't change the fact that we need medicine."

The twins exchanged a look, then Nikki nodded her head. "Fine, we have a deal," Nikki said. "Liv, you're with them now. Be a good girl."

Liv giggled and joined the group. She stood next to Sasha and gave the young woman a once over.

"You're pretty," Liv bit her lip. "Maybe I'll show you how I earn my keep later."

"I'm straight, but thanks," Sasha stated.

"Well, so is spaghetti until it's wet," Liv giggled with a wink.

"What are you, like, seventeen?" Sasha asked with an annoyed tone.

"I will be in June," Liv said.

Sasha cringed and shook her head. Times were extremely tough, but the thought of a teenager selling her body to survive made Sasha sick to her stomach.

The two groups journeyed deeper into town. Things were quiet, which was never good in any case these days. Lynch, joined by the twins, led the two factions down a deserted alley.

"Ok, there's a gas station up ahead with all kinds of medical supplies," Lynch told the twins. "Right next door is an old Nike store. Military uses it as a safe house so it has to have all kinds of things inside."

Brie took a step forward. "Ok, what if we-"

A sharp whistle sounded through the air. Brie suddenly fell to her knees, clutching at her neck. Poking through her throat, spewing out a river of thick red blood, was an arrowhead.

"GET DOWN!" Lynch screamed at the top of her lungs.

Sasha was roughly pulled to the ground just as a hailstorm of gunfire surrounded the two groups. Sitting up against a dumpster, Sasha realized Nikki, the crazy woman, was the one who got her to safety.

"Now Nikki gets to play," the crazed woman said with an insane look of fury in her eyes. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Nikki returned fire with her assault rifle.

Sasha crawled through a broken window into an abandoned store and stayed on the floor. She didn't know what to do next, but her main concern at the moment was to keep her head down and pray to God she didn't get hit.


	9. Chapter 9

_Sasha sprang to her feet. "Seth?" She called out, thinking it was him shuffling around in the dark._

 _It was his idea to go scavenging this late anyway. Sasha told Seth over and over again that looking for supplies at night was a stupid idea, but he never really listened to her. Now here Sasha was, skimming what was left of a Walmart in the middle of the night with nothing more than a flashlight with dying batteries and a backpack that was barely full of anything useful._

 _Sasha switched off her light and moved to another part of the store as discreetly as she could. With her back against the wall, and the fear hanging over her so thickly she could barely breathe, Sasha waited for the absolute worst things to happen._

 _Suddenly, a hand gripped her shoulder. Sasha screamed as loud as she could a swung her fist in the direction of the person grabbing at her._

 _They caught her arm just before it connected with their face. "You're getting better. I'm lucky you didn't have your knife."_

 _"Seth!" Sasha growled, shoving blindly at the cackling man in front of her. "You fucking jackass! I thought you were trying to kill me."_

 _Seth clicked on his flashlight to illuminate his face. "Me? I would never kill you. Bandits wouldn't either. They'd try other shit, THEN kill you. That's why you gotta keep your 'six' looked after too. I won't always be there."_

 _Sasha rolled her eyes, though Seth couldn't see her. "Right, because you're leaving me to fend for myself anytime soon?"_

 _Seth shook his head. "No, just saying. I'm not invincible like you are. If I die, I can't protect us anymore. I just want you to be a hundred percent ready in case I can't be here anymore."_

 _Sasha hated the idea of never seeing Seth again, but she didn't let her emotions show. She turned her head away for a moment to conceal her worry with a fake cough._

 _"You find anything useful in here?" Sasha asked, changing the subject. "I found shit, literally, and nothing useful except some band-aids and diet soda."_

 _Seth pulled his backpack off and set in on the ground. He opened his bag to reveal four gallons of purified water and some cans of soup._

 _"I think a group hides out here," Seth said. "I only took enough for the two of us. They have more than enough for-"_

 _A distant door slamming shut cut Seth off. He switched off his flashlight and pressed his back against the wall. Sasha followed suit, standing beside Seth and drawing her knife._

 _"Keep your knife ready and remember what I told you," Seth whispered, nearly inaudibly, to Sasha._

 _The purple haired woman nodded her head. "Watch my six. Got it."_

* * *

 _BOOM!_

A rain of tiny rubble landed on Sasha's prone body. A grenade, Sasha concluded, must've gone off just a few yards from her position and nearly killed her if it wasn't for the cement wall inside the burnt out shop she was hiding in.

"KEEP SHOOTING!"

"I NEED AMMO!"

"STAY IN COVER!"

Sasha couldn't tell the difference in anybody's voice anymore. Every sound just blended together in a chorus of gunshots and blood curdling screams. Of all the things Sasha thought she should've been doing at that moment, in a perfect world where a war didn't exist, she never pictured herself crouching for cover while bullets zipped by her head every single second.

She didn't dare peak out to see if she had a window of opportunity to run, but Sasha had a job to do. But did Lynch still want her to go through with the plan? Was the mission still on or was it basically a suicide run at this point?

Before Sasha could decide, a body suddenly flopped through the window beside her and landed just inches next to her. Ricochet, face coated in soot and traces of blood, pressed his back against the concrete wall with his gun held tightly in his hands.

"You good?" Ricochet asked Sasha with wide eyes and deep breaths.

Sasha didn't respond. She struggled to find her voice with all the chaos happening around her.

" _Are you alive?_ " Ricochet asked, putting emphasis on each word.

Sasha nodded her head. At least she could do that.

"Good, we got a job to do," Ricochet reloaded a new clip into his weapon. "On three, I'm going to start shooting. You run as fast as you can to the shop across the street. I'll be right behind you."

Again, before Sasha could decide, Ricochet was on his feet and ready to return fire. She didn't think he even counted to three before he started shooting, but Sasha wasn't going to wait for him to repeat himself.

Like a bat out of hell, Sasha threw herself back out in the open and sprinted across the street. Everything was blurry except for the metal door that led to the shop just a few yards in front of her. A bullet zipped by her head so close that Sasha thought she was dead for a moment. No such luck, she soon realized once she hit the door and pulled herself inside the building.

It was quiet. WAY too quiet. Aside from the muffled war going on outside the walls of the building, there was no sound except Sasha's shallow breathing. Her lungs were burning from her run, but she didn't have time to rest.

Sasha started for the center of the room. Behind a desk sat a wooden crate with all kinds of supplies inside. Sasha unstrapped her bag from her back and started filling it with water bottles and ibuprofen. Once that was filled to capacity, Sasha started to do the same with her second duffel bag. Things were going a little too well, Sasha thought, but she didn't dare pause to soak in her luck until she was safe and sound in the bunker again.

Sasha stood, ready to finally leave this place. She took two steps before being roughly thrown to the ground. She fought back as hard as she could, but the person who jumped her was far stronger.

"Oh, you're a girl," the man said, pinning Sasha to the floor with his hands. "It's been a while since I've seen one of those."

Sasha struggled with all her might, but the man was just too strong for her to fight off.

The man, ugly sneer across his face, took Sasha's knife from its holster. "I could pick my teeth with this," he hissed. "But, I need it for something else."

The man suddenly and aggressively tore open Sasha's coat, revealing only a t-shirt underneath. Using the knife, the man cut open Sasha's shirt to expose her underwear to him. He grinned, sliding the side of the blade along Sasha's tanned skin.

"No," Sasha wanted to scream, but could only whimper.

"Yes," the man slid the knife under the middle piece of fabric between Sasha's breasts. "It'll only hurt for a second, sweetheart. It's best you just stay still and let it happen."

The man pulled the knife back, cutting through Sasha's bra and exposing her chest to him. Just as sudden as she was exposed, a thunderclap of gunfire erupted and Sasha found herself covered in blood. The man's chest was ripped to bloody shreds. He fell over to the side, releasing Sasha from his pin.

Sasha quickly got to her feet. Heartbeat pounding in her chest, Sasha found the familiar friendly face of Ricochet aiming a gun in her direction.

"Sorry I took so long," he said, lowering the weapon away from Sasha.

Sasha retrieved her knife. "I'm just glad you got here when you did."

Behind Ricochet, a man made his presence known. Without another thought, Sasha threw her knife forward. Ricochet side stepped the blade then turned in time to see it pierce the chest of the thug who tried to attack him from behind.

"Thanks," Ricochet said.

"Don't mention it," replied Sasha with a proud grin.

Ricochet's gaze dropped momentarily, but then reconnected with Sasha's. "Uh, your..." He pointed at his own chest while turning his focus to something else.

Sasha zipped her coat back up, killing the awkward moment quickly.

A sudden explosion outside took both of the allies's attention. Sasha recollected both bags and handed one off to Ricochet. She grabbed her knife from the dead mercenary and hurried to join Ricochet by the door.

"Ok, on three," Ricochet gripped the door handle. "One... Two..."

The door flew open and both Ricochet and Sasha sprinted into the snowy street again. More gunfire and bullets surrounded them, but it didn't slow them down in the slightest. Sasha soon found herself lying in the same shelled store she was before making the initially run. Ricochet guided her back to a side window, where they both crawled through and took shelter behind the same dumpster Sasha hid behind.

Crazy Nikki was still there, cackling wildly and firing her gun at anything that didn't look friendly.

Sasha saw nothing dangerous in front of her, but a sudden tingling in the back of her neck made her suddenly turn around and slash her knife. An unseen unfriendly grabbed at his throat and fell to the floor inside the shop.

"Nice one," Ricochet commented.

Sasha nodded her head, silently thanking her ally.

"FALL BACK!" Lynch called out, waving her arm frantically to get others to follow her.

Sasha didn't hesitate to do what The Man instructed. Gripping tightly to her backpack and knife, Sasha ran for the outskirts of town with the others.

* * *

The second the flickering fluorescent lights hit her eyes, Sasha fell to her knees and vomited.

"Someone get the fookin' rookie a mop!" Lynch yelled, stepping around Sasha with a disgusted grimace.

Queen Charlotte flew across the room directly into her wife's arms. The two exchanged a deep kiss in relief that nobody was hurt badly.

Lieutenant Ambrose and Crazy Nikki shuffled next into the bunker, covered head to toe in black ash.

"Fuck," Ambrose muttered to himself. "That was fun."

Nikki giggled to herself. "Fun time. Nikki had fun time."

"You scare the fuck out of me sometimes, Nick," Ambrose muttered, handing his and Nikki's weapons over to the armory guard.

Johnny, Ricochet and Liv shuffled in next. Liv took a moment to take in her new surroundings and see what her new life was going to be like. Miss Bliss, pretending not to be over the moon about seeing Ambrose alive and well, led Liv to her office to register her.

Sasha coughed, the taste of sick making her gag. Ricochet knelt beside her and handed her a water bottle.

"Thanks," Sasha said.

"Hey, thank yourself," Ricochet said. "Without you, we wouldn't have these. You did good today."

Sasha sipped thirstily at her water. "If you consider murdering two people and almost being raped a 'good day', then sure."

"It was either us or them," Ricochet said with a shrug and stood up.

Lynch emptied and divided the contents of both backpacks on a metal table. The group of people, aside from Alexa and Liv, circled around the table to see what the catch was.

"Pain killers, antiseptic, bandages, gauze," Lynch said out loud. "A fuck ton of water..." She looked up to see Sasha. "Not bad fer yer first run. This'll do us plenty fer a long time."

Sasha smiled proudly to herself. "Thank you, sir."

"But, we have business to discuss," Becky nodded her head. "You lot scatter. Find somethin' ta do."

Ricochet, Johnny, Candice, Ambrose, Nikki, Queen Charlotte and Lynch stayed at the table. Sasha turned to walk away, or at the very least find out where she could get cleaning supplies to clean up her vomit.

"Where ya goin', lass?" Lynch called after Sasha.

Sasha looked back with question. "What do you mean?"

"I said we have business to discuss," The Man reiterated. "Get yer arse over here."

Sasha pretended not to notice the smirk from Ambrose at the apparent invitation into The Man's personal circle. She really must've impressed her enough on this run to gain her trust. Now, Sasha thought, don't do anything to make her lose faith in you.

"Sasha?!" Called a high pitched shriek from across the room.

Sasha looked up in time to see a blur of black hair before she was painfully embraced in a bone crunching hug.

"Bayley!" Sasha cried, throwing her arms around the younger woman.

"Ohmygod, I thought I'd never see you again," Bayley cried. "I was so worried about you!"

Sasha made eye contact with Lynch for a brief moment. The Man was far from pleased to see the scene unfolding in front of her, from the looks of it.

"Uh, where's Roman and Seth?" Sasha asked, trying to make the conversation brief.

Bayley's joyous smile turned grim. "Roman's being looked at right now. I guess he got shot when we tried to get away from Corbin. But Dana said he's going to be ok."

Sasha sighed. "I'm so sorry, Bayley. What about Seth?"

Bayley shrugged. "I haven't seen Seth since we ran away. I don't know where he is."

Sasha swallowed hard, faking toughness for the moment. "Ok, I'm just glad you and Roman are ok. How's the baby?"

Bayley caressed the bump in her abdomen. "She's fine. Hungry as heck, but we're both ok."

"Get yerself some food then," The Man said, cutting the conversation short. "I need to talk with yer friend about some important matters."

Bayley, fighting a giggle, nodded her head. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were so important here, Sasha."

With one more quick hug, Bayley hurried off for the kitchen. Sasha returned to the table with the others waiting.

"Finished?" Lynch asked in a bitter tone.

Sasha nodded her head. "Yeah. Uh, yes sir."

"Good," Lynch stated. "So, about the run..."

* * *

Sasha, after a frantic reveal from Bayley during lunch, found out her shoulder had been grazed during the run and needed stitches. Now she was sitting in the infirmary, patiently waiting for her turn to be attended to.

Nurse Dana attended to a few people. Liv was there too, shadowing Dana to see what to do with certain injuries.

"You want to be a nurse, Liv?" Sasha asked, getting the young girl's attention.

Liv nodded her head. "For sure. I was going to take some summer classes before the war started, so that didn't happen. But, Dana says she can show me how to do things since she's a doctor."

"I'm an RN, sweetie, I've said that twice now," Dana said over her shoulder while attending to a patient.

Liv shrugged and turned back to a patient on a separate bed.

"I'll get you in a second, Sasha," Dana said.

"I get 'er," Ricochet stepped into the room. "I can stitch her up for you, nurse."

Dana nodded. Ricochet collected the required supplies and sat beside Sasha on the bed.

"The Man is impressed with what you pulled off today," Ricochet said, lightly dabbing at Sasha's wound with a cloth. "She wants you to be a part of the group from now on. She told me to tell you."

"What, so that means I get to risk my life all the time for her?" Sasha asked, wincing slightly when the antibacterial cleaner started to sizzle in her arm.

Ricochet chuckled. "Basically. I told her about the two guys you took down. She was more excited to hear you can fend for yourself without help."

"Except the one guy," Sasha said, dropping her gaze to the floor.

Ricochet noticed her change in emotion. "I see you got a new shirt. I thought the other one suited you."

Sasha chuckled slightly, as did Ricochet. "I bet you do."

Ricochet prepped the needle and thread. "This is gonna hurt since we don't have anything to numb it. Lucky for you, it's just the outside that needs stitches."

Sasha flinched. The discomfort the needle brought was rough, but it soothed her to think it was to protect her from possibly getting far more sicker.

"Thanks, by the way," Ricochet said.

"For what?" Sasha asked.

"Saving my ass twice," Ricochet said. "I would've been dead if you weren't around."

"Yeah, but you stopped a guy from... Taking advantage of me," Sasha made eye contact with Ricochet. "I appreciate that the most."

"Just doing my job," Ricochet said.

Sasha snickered. "Oh, the modest type? Are you expecting me to drop to my knees and thank you for everything you do?"

Ricochet shook his head. "No. Like I said, just doing my job."

Sasha rolled her eyes, earning another chuckle from the man who saved her. She would find his attitude annoying, but she did admit to herself he was good looking. Get passed the blood stains and thousand yard stare and this Trevor guy wasn't that bad looking. Plus he was athletic as hell, Sasha recalled seeing him back flip off a park bench while fleeing from the city.

"Ah!" Sasha exclaimed. "Ok, maybe he is a dick," she thought to herself.

"All done," Ricochet wrapped Sasha arm with some gauze. "Let it dry for twenty-four hours before you take a shower again. We'll have those up and running by tomorrow, so it's good timing."

Sasha dropped to her feet. "Thanks. This was really nice of you."

"Just doing-"

"Shut up," Sasha said with a laugh. "Learn to take a compliment, jerk."

Sasha left the infirmary with a smile on her face for the first time in a few days.

* * *

 _"Why do you keep saying that?" Sasha asked Seth. "You keep talking like you're gonna die any second."_

 _Seth shrugged. "I might. That's why I want to teach you as much as I can while I'm here."_

 _Sasha rolled her eyes, which she realized she did out of habit a little while ago. "You're not gonna die. You're way more prepared than I am and you can actually shoot a gun. I'm the one that's screwed."_

 _"Well, still," Seth struck the fire starter again. "There's gonna be a time when I'm gone and you're on your own. Whether it's today, tomorrow or fifty years from now. Eventually, I'll be gone and it'll be you."_

 _Sasha shrugged. "I just wish you didn't talk like that. We should be happy we're alive right now."_

 _"I am happy I'm still alive," Seth clarified. "Shocked as all hell, but happy. I'm just keeping you prepared."_

 _"Thanks, I guess," Sasha said. "Just wish you wouldn't say that shit."_

 _Seth struck the stone again. "It'll be alright. I'm bulletproof anyway."_

 _Sasha poked at the stitching in Seth's arm. "Uh huh, I'm sure you are."_

 _Seth chuckled along with his new friend. After one more struck, the flint sparked and lit the bundle of dry grass and twigs._

 _"Bingo," Seth said with a grin. "That's how you make a fire, Sasha."_

 _"Cool. Now turn it into a cup of coffee," Sasha giggled, making Seth chuckle._

* * *

Dinner was a little awkward when Sasha had to choose between sitting with Bayley and Roman or with Lynch and her circle. In the end, after a pair of 'you better get over here' looks from Ambrose and Ricochet, Sasha chose to sit with The Man and her Queen.

After she was done eating, Sasha chatted with Roman and Bayley for a little while. Once the conversation wore thin, that consisted mostly of talking about where Seth was and what their next step was, Sasha announced she was going to sleep.

"What are you doing?" Ambrose asked Sasha when she stepped into her room.

"Going to bed," Sasha pointed out. "I'm tired."

"The Man got you your own room," Ambrose gestured for Sasha to follow him. "Now you won't have to bunk with Xavier."

Sasha, both excited and nervous, followed Ambrose to the back hallway that led to Lynch's office. They walked past The Man's office. Eventually, they reached a third hall with rooms on either side.

"You'll get Candice's old room since she sleeps with Johnny now," Ambrose clarified when he stopped in front of a closed door. "Enjoy," he added a wink that gave Sasha a weird vibe, but she shook it off.

Sasha opened her bedroom door. She clicked on the light, then jumped when she saw the naked blonde girl on her bed.

"Hey," Liv cooed with a smile. "About time you showed up."

Sasha face palmed. "Liv... No, ok? Just please go."

"But Ambrose said-"

"Ambrose is a moron," Sasha specified. "I don't like girls in that way."

"Well, if you want me to be a boy I have a str-"

"No," Sasha said, a little more sternly but kept the volume down. "Please, go."

Liv shrugged her shoulders and slid a robe on. She held out her fist to Sasha. Sasha cocked an eyebrow, then bumped fists with Liv before the young blonde skipped down the hall.

"Weird," Sasha muttered to herself.

The new room she was given was roughly the same size as her old one, but this one had a queen sized mattress instead of a twin. It had a dresser for her things and an old stereo in the corner. Sasha smiled when she saw that, but she decided not to fiddle with it until the morning.

Pulling back the covers, Sasha crawled into bed. She sighed heavily, feeling the softness of the bed and nearly sinking into it.

Rolling to her non-injured shoulder, Sasha start to drift off. For the most part, she was doing alright. She just hoped she would find Seth again sometime soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**Day 221**

 _February 8, 2025_

 _The last few days in the bunker haven't been all that bad. I think I'm on The Man's good side, since she gave me my own room after the run a few days back. Bayley is still her normal self. She's so happy to have her husband back, and I'm happy for her. I just wish we could find out what happened to Seth._

 _I'm not allowed to leave the bunker without permission. I asked Ambrose about leaving the bunker on my own, but he said The Man wouldn't like that and would probably not let me back in. I guess I'm not completely on her good side. I feel safe and I like the bunker, so I think I'll avoid upsetting The Man for the foreseeable future._

 _Trevor, Ricochet's real name, is a really sweet guy. He's trying to teach me how to clean guns. It's not as easy as it looks, but I think I'll get the hang of it. Seth always said I was a quick learner._

 _I miss Seth._

 _Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks_

* * *

Sasha read back her latest journal entry. She'd only been in the bunker with The Man's group for four days, but she felt like she'd been there far longer. Maybe it was because she climbed in rank so quickly, or maybe because the security of a well hidden home and a warm meal three times a day gave her a comfort she hadn't felt since Braun's cabin. Comfort wasn't really something Sasha had since before the war. She did feel comfortable when Seth watched over her when she slept. If he were there with her, in the bunker, she'd probably feel completely at ease for the first time since the bombs started dropping. But that wasn't possible with Seth still missing.

A soft knock came at Sasha's bedroom door. The now fully brunette woman dropped her pen in her trusty purple notebook and closed the cover. The bunker had a hair stylist, a flamboyant man named Patrick, that gave Sasha a cute yet war appropriate mid-length haircut to rid her of her purple locks.

Liv stood at Sasha's door with a gentle smile. "Good morning, Sasha." The young woman chirped.

"I don't need sex, Liv," Sasha felt herself telling the teen that same sentence almost every time they encountered. Sasha did feel like sex would help de-stress her a little, but not with a girl who was barely old enough to drive.

"Uh, actually I'm not offering that," Liv explained. "The Queen wants to talk to you. She's in The Man's office waiting."

"What does she need?" Sasha asked. Charlotte never spoke to her without the presence of her wife. Maybe it was something to do with The Man.

Liv shrugged. "Dunno. She just said to send you right away. She seemed pretty serious too. I think it's about The Man, because she wasn't there."

Sasha nodded. "Thanks, Liv. I'll go see her right away."

Liv hesitated a moment. "I like your hair. Patrick did a really good job."

"Thanks, Liv," Sasha said with a grin, sending the younger woman away finally.

Sasha took a second to prepare herself for her meeting with the queen. It was a curious situation to talk to her, apparently without The Man present, but Sasha wasn't going to make the woman wait.

* * *

Sasha found the door to The Man's office partially open. She knocked once, then stepped inside.

"Ah, Sasha," The Queen greeted with a smile. "Good for you to make it. My wife will be joining us shortly. She told me to send for you."

"Oh, The Man will be coming?" Sasha asked. The way Liv worded it, Sasha was sure The Man wouldn't be there, but it wasn't Liv's fault for speculating the wrong thing.

The Queen nodded. "Yes, she will be here soon. My wife had to check ammunition inventory before she met with us."

Sasha nodded. Queen Charlotte definitely believed in her nickname. The way she presented herself had a sense of royalty by itself, standing under the fluorescent light to give herself an extra glow and speaking clear and precise with careful enunciation.

"Do you know what she wants to talk about?" Sasha asked.

Charlotte shook her head. "My wife doesn't discuss her plans with me. The only way I learn information is by standing in on her meetings with her staff."

Sasha didn't say anything after that. The Queen was eyeing her, scanning her up and down, probably trying to get a better idea of who Sasha was. Just a tired and rugged barista from Boston, nothing special, Sasha thought to herself.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your family," Sasha said, offering some sympathy to break the silence. "I don't know where Seth is and a good man who took me in didn't make it when Corbin attacked us."

Queen Charlotte's eyes softened. "Thank you, Sasha. I appreciate your sympathy for my wife and me. I lost my father, my brothers and my sister during this war. Thankfully, I've had my wife to lean on."

"How long have you been married to The Man?" Sasha asked.

"Ten years, this fall," Charlotte stated with a smile. "Been a wonderful decade with my Rebecca, good times and bad."

"Rebecca?" Sasha asked.

"Get me name out yer mouth, lass," The Man hissed as she bumped past Sasha. Sasha hadn't heard The Man enter the room. Had she knew The Man was present, she wouldn't have said her real name.

"Sorry, sir," Sasha said.

"I bet you are," The Man muttered. "So, I reckon you know I have a bone to pick with Corbin. What can you tell me about him?"

Sasha shrugged. "I don't know. He's pro-life-"

"I could give two fucks less what side of t'e war he's on," The Man spat. "I want to know why he targeted you and yours specifically. He doesn't come after small groups unless he's recruiting. He would've shot you all in your sleep if he t'ought you were a threat. Why did he come for you and why are you still alive?"

Sasha thought immediately about the baby in Bayley's belly. Bayley swore it was her husband's, but Corbin apparently thought the child was his. How could he think Bayley would want to come live with him and raise "their" child after he assaulted her and tried to kill Roman? It gave Sasha an uneasy feeling in her stomach to think about. But did should she tell The Man the reason Corbin tried to kill them was because Bayley is pregnant? Sasha had a feeling The Man would do everything in her power to keep Corbin from Bayley, but Sasha also didn't know The Man or what she was going to do about a pregnant liability.

"My friend, Bayley, is pregnant," Sasha stated.

"Yes, she is a very lovely girl," Queen Charlotte said with a bright smile. "She helped me count inventory yesterday. Quite the chatterbox, but still a very nice person."

"The Queen has chores too?" Sasha thought, finding that surprising. "Yeah, she's pregnant with her husband. But Corbin thinks it's his child."

The Man scoffed. "Your friend had sex with Corbin? And you expect me to house her and her bastard?"

Sasha shook her head. "He... raped her, sir. He forced himself on her when she was trying to go to sleep. She was in his group before she knew who he was. She left after she was assaulted and they've been after her and Roman ever since."

The Man always had an angry look of hatred in her eyes, but the moment Sasha mentioned the horrible act Corbin committed, The Man's eyes turned dark and she clenched her fists at her side.

"It's going to be a good feelin' when I stick his head on a fookin' pike," The Man growled, a chuckle escaping her throat and a scary smile spreading across her lips. "Do you know where he could be?"

Sasha shook her head. "No, but I think Bayley and Roman might. Like I said, they were in his group for a while. Maybe they can tell you where they are and we figure out an attack."

"Don't start callin' shots you aren't ready to take, girlie," Becky said. "You haven't killed no one who's done ya dirty. Those two mercs at Money in the Bank were nothin'. Besides, no one's allowed to put a bullet in Corbin's head 'cept fer me. Understand?"

Sasha nodded her head. "Yes, sir. I understand."

"Good," The Man gestured at the door. "Find Miss Alexa and find a job to do. We're going on a run tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," Sasha dismissed herself from The Man's office. Thinking about Corbin made Sasha's blood boil. The image of his lifeless body sprawled in a dirty alleyway gave her hope and a fire to keep fighting. But, for now, she'd have to make herself useful.

* * *

Miss Alexa greeted Sasha with a smile when the newest member of the "Queen's Court" entered her office. Ambrose, as was expected, was also in Alexa's office.

"Dude, no more purple hair?" Ambrose asked, sat atop Alexa's desk.

Sasha shook her head. "Not until we find a bottle of purple hair dye during a run."

"What can I help you with?" Alexa asked.

"The Man said to come find a job from you," Sasha told. "Something physical, preferably. I'm a little pissed off right now."

"PMS?" Ambrose asked. Alexa scoffed and elbowed her lover, obviously not happy with his bluntness.

"No, I was talking to The Man about Corbin. Thinking about him makes my fucking skin crawl." Sasha said.

"How much of that is backed up libido?" Ambrose asked.

"Dean!" Alexa exclaimed, throwing the lieutenant a dirty look.

"Seriously, when's the last time you got laid?" Ambrose asked. "My mind is completely clear all day because I get to knock boots with this little hottie. Lex, are you ever frustrated during the day?"

"When you don't shut up," Alexa snapped.

"Right, then what do you do to get focus again?" Ambrose asked.

Alexa rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You don't know anything."

Ambrose chuckled. "I'm serious, Sasha," he told the other woman. "You either shoot something, hit something or fuck something. Since you can't do two of those things without getting your ass thrown out of here, what are you going to do?"

Sasha shook her head. "I only want to have sex with one person, and he's not here."

"There's Liv-"

"No," Sasha stated. "I'm not sleeping with an underage girl. That's all kinds of not ok."

Ambrose shrugged. "Alright, but at least think about it. I mean, if I wasn't committed to the love of my life, I'd take a shot at The Man. Got this fantasy where I'm a cop and she's, like, this nerdy science chick..." He paused when he caught Alexa's eye. "What? I was kidding."

"Love of your life, huh?" Alexa grinned.

Ambrose stared off into space for a second, then sighed. "Fuck, I did say that. Uh, Sasha go help Ricochet with guns. He tries doing shit by himself, but it's at least a two person job."

Sasha nodded. "Ok. The Man says we got a run tomorrow."

Ambrose nodded. "Yeah, we're visiting the Twins's camp. Gotta pay respects for Brie and shit. Maybe trade. Probably hit up a grocery store on the way back."

Sasha started to leave the office, but she started moving faster when Alexa jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Ambrose's neck.

* * *

Ricochet wasn't excited when Sasha showed up to help him with guns, but he was thankful for the company. Nikki was sitting in the corner of the room, muttering to herself and cradling an assault rifle. Thankfully, the gun didn't have an ammo clip in it.

"What do you have to do?" Sasha asked, flinching slightly when Nikki started laughing.

Ricochet tapped a clipboard with his pen. "Just count guns. Then we gotta count ammo. Just make sure the numbers add up. If a gun is missing, we have to report it to The Man and she'll handle it. I've only seen it happen once, though. A revolver went missing and some shells."

"What did The Man do?" Sasha asked.

Ricochet chuckled. "Booted the guy out on his ass and gave Gallows a kill order if he came back. We thought she was just being harsh and Gallows wouldn't do anything violent. Then about an hour later, we heard Gallows unload on some poor bastard. Nobody moved, but The Man took care of the body. Be glad you don't have to clean the furnace."

Sasha swallowed hard. "So, The Man has no tolerance for bullshit."

Ricochet shook his head. "None. I don't blame her. There's no room for that kind of shit in today's world."

"Fair enough," Sasha agreed. She gestured at Nikki, who was still giggling and cuddling her gun. "Did you count Nikki's gun?"

"No, I hadn't. Good call, kid," Ricochet made a note in his notes.

"Kid? You can't be that much older than me," Sasha kidded. "You're, what, twenty-seven?"

"Thirty," Ricochet chuckled. "Thank you for the compliment though. My wife used to give me all kinds of hell for my age."

Sasha felt a confusing wave of disappointment wash over her. "I didn't know you were married. Is your wife here?"

Ricochet shook his head. "No, she's at the safe zone in Stamford. We visit there every once in a while to trade or see if they have people they can't bring in. So many people try to go there for safety that Stamford actually has to turn some people down. They haven't in a while, but it's happened."

"How do you keep in touch with them?" Sasha asked.

"Runner's transport letters between us," Ricochet said. "That would be you, but we stopped sending ours out."

"Why?" Sasha asked curiously.

"Our last runner showed up without a head last time," Ricochet checked a box on his checklist. He chuckled at the horrified look on Sasha's face. "Don't worry, Sasha. We don't send our runner's out anymore for that kind of thing. Stamford sends us a convoy every now and again to bring us goods. We trade, because they still need supplies too. They give us a few people they can't take in. That only happens every once in a while though. No one's head has been sent in a cardboard box in a while."

"That's happened too?" Sasha croaked, starting to feel ill.

"Yeah, how do you think we found out our last runner died? His body showed up in Stamford, his head came back." Ricochet said.

Sasha dry heaved, forcing a howling laugh from Ricochet.

"Don't worry," Ricochet added. "The last runner was a prisoner we had. He tried leaving his last group, they didn't like that obviously, so they took care of their own problem for us."

"Oh my god," Sasha shuttered.

"Yeah, but at least now all we have to do is count ammo now," Ricochet check on Nikki with a quick glance. "She doesn't have a clip this time, so everything should be here."

Sasha checked on Nikki again. The damaged woman was aiming her weapon across the room and making gunshots with her mouth.

"Pew, pew, says the fun toy," Nikki muttered crazily. "Pew, pew, makes the bad people go away! Pew, pew, pew!"

"Jesus Christ," Sasha sighed.

"Yeah, it'd be nice if he showed up again right about now," Ricochet commented. "But, until then, we got ammo to count."

* * *

After lunch, Sasha headed for her bedroom to fiddle with her radio. She had almost got it going a few times in the last few days, but she really wanted to hear the raspy voice of the DJ she, Seth and Bayley stumbled upon that one day in Braun's cabin. It wasn't the man's voice that gave her comfort, but more a sense of nostalgia from when things were a little more simple.

Sasha twisted a few knobs on the radio's surface. She almost started to give up hope when, through the static, Sasha could hear the man's voice again.

 _"...like I always says. I just hope to see my boy Cas and sweet Carmella again. Hope yous guy's are doin' ok. Until then, let's play some tuneage, eh?"_

Sasha fixed the radio until the sound came in as best as she thought it could get in an underground bunker. It was surprising she had a signal at all, let alone one this clear.

"Hey, you fixed it," Liv said from Sasha's door. "I thought I heard Enzo's voice a second ago. He was my favorite radio host back home."

"Enzo, huh?" Sasha noted. "He's got a good taste in music."

Liv grinned. "Yeah, I love ACDC. Reminds me of before the war."

Sasha gave the young woman a once over. "Can I talk to you, Liv? Or are you doing something?"

Liv shook her head. "Nope, I'm free to talk," she stepped into Sasha's room and shut the door. "What's up, sister?"

"No offense," Sasha began when Liv sat beside her on the bed. "But why do you... Sell your body to get by? I mean, I think there are other ways to earn your keep."

Liv chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I figured you'd ask me that at some point. It's not that I'm not good at anything or something like that. I can use a knife just fine and I can defend myself. It's just that sex helps me forget that there's freaking war going on outside over stupid crap, ya know? Like, my boyfriend and I would hook up whenever we got stressed out. We didn't even want to sometimes. But it was a good way to forget about the stress. Then a URP firing squad showed up. Then my boyfriend died. And so did my parents. Then the Bella Twins found me, starving and almost dead. They took me in, made me better, then put me to work. They asked what my specialty was and... Well, you get it."

"Shit, I feel bad for judging you now," Sasha said.

Liv shook her head, making her wavy blonde hair a whirlwind of yellow. "It's no harm done. I would've done the same, if I were you. But, anyway, I'll leave you be. I'm sure I can find something to distract myself with until someone wants a release."

Sasha sighed. "Wait," Liv stopped getting up and settled back down. "Look, I need to get some stress off me, ok?"

Liv giggled. "Oh yeah? I thought you were into guys?"

Sasha snickered. "There is this one guy. Seth. When I see him again, he'll be all I need. But..."

Liv patted Sasha's knee. "Don't worry, Sasha. I won't say anything to him when he shows up. Besides, it's just sex. You'll be ok, don't worry."

Sasha hesitated for a minute, but then she leaned close to Liv and softly pecked her on the lips.

"This is so weird for me," Sasha admitted.

Liv giggled. "Don't worry. I'll do everything. You just relax. Think about Seth if you need to."

Sasha laid back, resting her head on her pillow. Liv gave her another peck on the lips, giggled, then sat back on her feet. Sasha lifted her hips to help the young woman strip off her raggedy jeans. Sasha followed Liv closely, watching the blonde kiss the inside of her thighs. Sasha closed her eyes and pictured the man she missed dearly as Liv's tongue finally touched her center.

* * *

 **Day 222**

 _February 9, 2025_

 _Well, last night was weird. I had sex with Liv. It was nice to forget about the outside world for a while, but it made me remember how much I miss Seth. I don't just want to sleep with him. I want to know he's safe and I want to tell him how I feel. I love him so much and I need to let him know. We'll find him, I'm sure of it._

 _Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks_

* * *

"What's with you today?" Ambrose asked Sasha while he secured a knife harness to her leg.

"What do you mean?" Sasha asked.

"I don't know. Usually you have a bad case of resting bitch face, but you seem pretty chill today," Ambrose stood up to look Sasha in the eye. "Did you screw around with Liv like I told you?"

Sasha sheepishly dropped her head. "I don't want to hear shit from you, Ambrose."

Ambrose shook his head. "I'm not saying anything. Feels better though, right? One less thing to worry about."

"You're not gonna make a big deal about it?" Sasha asked. "Tell me how it's a fantasy to see me with another girl or something like that?"

Ambrose chuckled. "No, I only talk that way to Alexa, because she can't stand it. Besides, my mom's into chicks so I don't find them sexy at all."

Sasha snickered. "I find that hard to believe, but alright."

The Man took head at the front of the room. She gave a heartfelt speech about how they'd be back by sundown. She kissed her wife goodbye, then led the way out of the bunker.

"Ready?" Ricochet asked Sasha.

Sasha nodded once. "I'm ready."

With that, The Man's inner circle, with the exception of Candice, filed out of the bunker.


	11. Chapter 11

The walk to the Bella's camp wasn't as far as Sasha thought it would be. Their set-up was about a mile and a half from the school heading back into the woods. Having to walk through the woods again was nerve wracking, but having armed allies around her at all times did put ease to Sasha's anxiety. It being early morning still meant the sun was out, but the snow gave them some cover if they happened upon a group of people that weren't as friendly as the twins.

Finally, an old junkyard came into view. A single guard stood alone in a makeshift watch tower made from the shell of an old SUV. The Man whistled sharply, getting the guard's attention. The man keeping watch waved down to The Man's group, then turned back into the fort and whistled again. The chain link fence acting as the main gate rolled open from an electronic motor. Inside the walls that were mostly made out of old, rustic automobiles, a few tents were set up around the area. In the center of the yard was a single building that was hardly bigger than a smaller gas station.

Nikki Bella, the sole surviving sister from the recent raid on Money in the Bank, left the tiny shack when The Man and her group approached the building.

Nikki pulled her thick wool scarf away from her face. "Thank you for coming, sir," she spoke. Her voice was not proud and confident like days prior. She was very clearly heavily morning the loss of her twin. "I appreciate this act of kindness in our time of grief." The buxom brunette continued.

The Man nodded once. "It's the least we could do," she said, rather modestly. "Your sister gave the ultimate sacrifice for both our people." The Man reached into her jacket and removed a bottle of whiskey. "It's not much, but it's for your sister," The Man stated, handing the bottle to Nikki.

Nikki smirked as a tear rolled down her cheek. "'Serious Kick'. This was Brie's favorite. I'm surprised there's any alcohol left since the war started. Usually just moonshine or raiders passing nail polish remover off as a bootleg vodka."

A little to Sasha's surprise, The Man embraced the mourning woman. They stayed locked around each other for a moment, before one of Nikki's men approached her and whispered something in her ear.

"Right," Nikki turned to the rest of The Man's group. "Lunch is ready. We are celebrating the life of my sister. We have more than enough venison and MRE's to feed everyone twice. My people found a chicken tender MRE specifically for you, Lieutenant."

Ambrose grinned. "That's awesome. Thank you so much."

The Man led her group of people around the building to the far end of the yard. A giant bonfire was burning in the center of several chairs and tables. The Man took a seat at a long table with Ambrose, Nikki and another man that Sasha figured was Nikki's second in command.

Johnny took Crazy Nikki over to the food to join the others. Ricochet hesitated and stayed back while the others filed in line for their lunch.

"Not hungry?" Sasha asked, standing beside Ricochet.

"Just waiting for the others to get first dibs," Ricochet explained. "Figure I'd show a little common courtesy while we're here."

"Ambrose didn't get the memo, apparently," Sasha commented with a chuckle when seeing Ambrose near the front of the line.

Sasha took another look around the miniature fortress she was standing in the middle of. The walls were outlined by a chain link fence, but then the second layer in were several dozen broken down cars. It provided a lot of cover, but there were a lot of open spaces between the cars and the fence itself. It was probably harder to sneak in than it looked, not that Sasha had any intention of breaking into the camp at all.

"It's finally starting to get warmer," Ricochet said.

"Do you think the groundhog saw his shadow?" Sasha flashed a sarcastic smirk.

Ricochet shrugged. "Eh, maybe. If he had, we'd be knee deep in snow right now. I like to think maybe winter is almost over. I miss the spring anyway."

"New girl," called The Man's thick accent. Sasha said bye to Ricochet, then hurried over to the table The Man and Nikki were seated at. "Nikki, this is one of the newest members of t'e group," The Man pointed. "She's got a shite attitude, but she can handle herself in battle."

"Sasha," Nikki spoke with a soft smile. "That's a pretty name. Where are you from?"

"Boston," Sasha answered. "I was traveling to Stamford, but then The Man found me and a few of my friends when Corbin attacked us."

Nikki's eyebrows raised. "Oh, _you're_ the lucky girl. Word travels fast these days. You've come somewhat of an urban legend in the last couple days."

"I'm just a normal person," Sasha stated.

"A very lucky one," Nikki praised. "Not a lot of people get attacked by Corbin and live to tell the tale."

"Was Corbin the one who attacked us at Money in the Bank?" Sasha asked.

"No, army deserters," The Man said with a head shake. "People t'at think they're tough fer t'e army, but then leave because they're too cowardly to die for their cause."

"They knew we were coming," Nikki added. "Which means they saw us on the way there, or someone tipped them off in exchange for whatever. Ryder managed to find this map at the site."

The man sitting beside Nikki, the presumed 'Ryder', laid a map across the table for everyone to see. "They had checkpoints at every entrance to the town," Ryder pointed out with red circles circling various areas on the sheet of paper. "It's possible they just anticipated our attack and prepared themselves when they saw us come in. Otherwise, a separate group, probably Corbin, told them. Which would be hard to explain, because we don't have anyone who would back stab us like that... Until yesterday."

"What?" Sasha asked.

Nikki sighed. "It came to my attention that supplies were being stolen from the community. It took a little detective work, but Ryder figured out it was one of the nurses. She was stealing from us and trading with Corbin. She admitted to giving him the information about the heist, which would lead to the death of my sister."

"What did you do with her?" Sasha asked.

Nikki nodded at the shack. "We have her in there. Get your food; We'll begin shortly."

"Begin what?" The Man asked.

Nikki, without another word, stood up from the table and headed for the shack with Ryder following close behind.

"What the hell is going on?" Ambrose asked.

The Man shook her head. "I have a bad feelin' about this."

In no time, the door to the shack burst open. A woman, hands tied behind her back and a blindfold covering her eyes, stumbled out onto the frosty snow. The woman's clothing was torn to shreds and her body was covered in dozens of deep, crimson gashes.

"This is what happens when you betray us!" Nikki yelled to the people now surrounding her and the prisoner. "This traitor's acts led to the death of my sister, Brianna! You do not get to be a part of our society if you think you can fuck us over like that!"

Suddenly, Nikki pulled the woman's head back by her hair and cut her throat. Sasha exclaimed in shock and turned away.

"No more!" Nikki proclaimed.

Ryder dragged the dying woman by her leg over to the massive bonfire. With a sickening cheer from the crowd, Ryder tossed the near lifeless body into the flames. The woman's dying gasps of agony made Sasha's stomach churn.

"Sir, I think it's time we left," Ambrose muttered to The Man.

The Man nodded. "Round everyone up as quick as you can."

With Ambrose leaving to find the others, The Man turned her attention to Sasha. Sasha was hunched over, vomiting up on the snow. The Man grabbed Sasha by the scruff of her neck and stood her up.

"Listen to me," The Man muttered in Sasha's ear. "If you want any chance of being fooked by that blonde slut ever again, you'll man the fuck up right now and put on a brave face."

Sasha wiped a few tears from her eyes. "Did you not see-"

"Oh, I fuckin' saw," The Man hissed. "And you're going to eat yer meal like it didn't faze you or we will leave you behind. Are we clear?"

Sasha, seeing no other way out, nodded her head. "Yes, sir. Just tell me when it's time to go."

"Good," The Man said. Her cadence was confident and brave as usual, but Sasha saw her dark brown eyes shake slightly with what she thought was either fear or horror. Either way, this was not going to be a group they wanted to interact with in the future.

* * *

Sasha felt like she hadn't blinked since the most horrific scene occurred in front of her. Once the blinking fluorescent lights of the bunker filled her line of sight again, Sasha blinked her eyes. A few tears fell down her cheek and stained her jacket, but her face remained blank like she hadn't just witnessed cold blooded murder.

Sasha felt a hand clasp her shoulder. "Have a shower. Meeting in twenty," The Man muttered in her ear before walking away.

"Sasha! You made it back!" Bayley hollered with joy. "Roman and I were waiting for you to get back so we can play some Risk with you."

Sasha blinked. "I gotta take a shower quick and have a meeting with The Man," hearing her own voice wasn't familiar like it used to be. To herself, Sasha sounded like a monotone, almost like a robot.

"Ok. Maybe after?" Bayley asked.

Sasha nodded her head stiffly. "Sure. We can do that."

The next few minutes were a blur. The next thing Sasha knew, she was standing under a steady stream of warm water. Her tired legs were relaxing a little after walking for so long, but her troubled mind was not going to be so easy to tame. Seeing Nikki Bella carelessly execute another person without a second thought chilled Sasha to the bone. Granted, it was for good reasons. But on public display like that, then burning her while she was still alive made Sasha's skin crawl.

"Fuck," Sasha gagged, feeling like she may throw up again. She instead rinsed her mouth out a few times and spat out the water at the drain in the center of the room.

Sasha washed herself and dressed in a fresh set of clothes. She followed the familiar maze of back hallways until she came upon The Man's office. Inside, everyone in The Man's inner circle waited for her arrival.

"I think it goes without saying we don't do business with Nikki Bella anymore," The Man stated, earning a murmur of agreements from those around her. "I'm not against killing someone for survival, but... An execution is not the way to go. Corbin is the one exception I will have because killing him will be for the benefit of our survival. I will never tolerate the killing of any of our people like that."

The Man opened a drawer on her desk and fished out a large bottle of liquor.

"Pull up a seat everyone," The Man said. "We all need a drink after that shite," she gestured at Sasha. "Her especially."

"Thank you, sir," Sasha said, before taking a seat in-between Crazy Nikki and Ambrose.

"I think I'm no longer 'Crazy Nikki', eh?" Nikki said with a chuckle.

"Hey, look who's lucid," Johnny said. "Welcome back."

"Unfortunately, I remember that part," Nikki said. "The one time I remember what me other half sees, and it's some despicable shite."

The Man handed a glass to everyone. " Well, that's the new world we live in now. Pass it around," she said, handing the bottle to Candice. "Nobody leaves until the bottle is empty."

Sasha drank her first glass in quick succession, then asked for another. "It's not my first drink. Keep 'em comin'," Sasha said.

* * *

After several rounds of board games with Bayley and Roman, Sasha excused herself to go to bed. The day was winding down and she wanted to go to bed after drinking with The Man. But she also made a promise to her adopted little sister and didn't want to let her down.

Coming down the opposite end of the hall was Liv. Sasha made eye contact with the young woman. Liv flashed a friendly smile at Sasha. In a blink of an eye, Sasha pinned Liv against the wall and crushed her lips against Liv's.

"Hi," Liv cooed with a sultry grin. "You could just ask, ya know. No need to be all aggressive. Although, I do like it a little rough."

"I've had a long, fucked up day," Sasha stated. "I don't want to fuck you. I just want someone to cuddle with. I'm a little drunk right now and I have no desire to have sex. I just want to hold you. Besides, you're better than fucking people to earn your keep. Keep learning from Dana and you'll be fine."

"Wow, that's the nicest thing someone's said to me all day that didn't come right after I literally swallowed their cum," Liv said. "I mean, if you want to just cuddle, that's fine. I am pretty tired too."

"Good," Sasha took Liv by the hand and brought her into her bedroom.

Sasha didn't bother taking her jeans off. She was too exhausted to try anyway. Liv shimmied off her jeans and got under the covers. Sasha joined her and wrapped her arms around the young woman.

"Thank you for doing this," Sasha told Liv. "I know it's weird, but you don't need to spend the night with some douchebag."

Liv giggled. "Thanks, Sasha. It means a lot to me that you like me for more than just sex."

"Just wanna snuggle and feel safe for once," Sasha admitted.

"No problem," Liv quickly pecked Sasha on the cheek, then settled into her embrace. "Night, Sasha."

"Good night," Sasha muttered, finally feeling some relaxation and closing her eyes to fall asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Day 232**

 _February 19, 2025_

 _I had another nightmare last night. I dreamt I was thrown into a giant bonfire like the woman at Nikki Bella's camp. I woke up screaming but Liv was there to calm me down. I don't know if or when the nightmares will ever stop. I'm just happy I have a friend like Liv to hold me until I stop shaking. She's a great person. I'm really happy she's stopped selling her body and is helping Nurse Dana full-time now._

 _It's been over two weeks since The Man brought me to the bunker. I'm still on her good side, obviously, or I'd be fucking dead. We go on the occasional raid still and my word seems to carry a little more weight these days. I think I can keep myself in her trust as long as I don't fuck anything up too badly._

 _We still haven't found Seth..._

 _I'm starting to lose hope, but part of me somehow knows he's still out there. Maybe we'll get lucky soon._

 _Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks_

* * *

For the last few weeks, Sasha's morning routine stayed relatively the same: Wake up, receive a kiss on the cheek from Liv, shower, eat breakfast with The Man, and then find a job for the rest of the day. It was a simple and uneventful morning routine, but Sasha was glad it was that way because it meant she and her friends got to keep living in the bunker.

Roman and Bayley picked up jobs to keep their value around the community. Roman started to learn how to clean and check weapons while Bayley became the kitchen apprentice of Otis and Tucker. Bayley stated Otis was the perfect amount of eccentric that she liked while Tucker was the balancing agent in the otherwise hyperactive concoction. Sasha herself just liked watching Bayley watch on with child-like wonder every time Otis showed her a new skill or a special combination of foods and spices in the kitchen.

What frustrated Sasha the most, aside from not finding Seth yet, was The Man's lack of action against Corbin. They had a lead as to where the vile human being's hideout may be, but The Man decided against storming the base and killing everything in sight. Sasha tried to argue against The Man, but the others voted against her when called for a vote. Nikki and Ricochet voted with Sasha, which she silently appreciated, but Ambrose, Johnny, Candace, The Man, and Queen Charlotte voted not to approach Corbin just yet. Thankfully, that was the only negativity between Sasha and The Man.

Currently, Sasha was sitting cross-legged in bed with her new blonde friend seated in front of her. Liv had just gotten out of the shower and Sasha offered to brush her hair just as a thank you for all the comfort the younger woman had given.

"You have got it bad for this Seth guy," Liv pointed out with a giggle. Sasha's cherished purple notebook was resting in Liv's lap. Sasha never let anyone near it, but she figured Liv wasn't going to do anything to possibly ruin the journal.

Sasha nodded. "I know. I miss him. He was the one who helped me survive most of the war. Without him, I wouldn't be here."

"I need to say thank you when he shows up," Liv stated with another giggle. "Without him, you wouldn't be here. And you're awesome, Sash."

"Thanks, Liv," Sasha ran the brush through Liv's hair, making the tangled blonde locks straighten out and fall over the girl's shoulders like water. "He's probably running his own place by now. He's a strong person. Smart. Handsome as hell."

"Need me to take care of your problem back there? Sheesh!" Liv giggled, baiting a small chuckle from Sasha.

Sasha set the brush to the side. "There. You look great, Liv."

Liv hurried to the mirror on the other side of the room. "Oh, sweet! I look hot as fuck!" The energetic girl exclaimed. She topped off her attire with a baseball cap, which essentially ruined the work Sasha put in. "Thanks, Sasha."

Sasha spread her arms for a hug, but Liv came in for a kiss to the lips. Sasha let it linger for a second since she didn't want to come off as rude to the other woman. Liv broke the kiss with a sigh and pecked Sasha again on the cheek.

"Dana's gonna show me how to suture knife wounds," Liv said.

"Yeah? That's great, Liv. Nursing is starting to look like something you wanna do?" Sasha asked.

Liv nodded. "For sure. If this stupid war ever ends, I'm getting my GED and going to a two-year college to get my credits up. Then hopefully get into a better college. Then probably med school if they let me in."

"I'm proud of you for thinking everything out," Sasha praised. "And don't worry. This war will be over before you know it."

Liv nodded. "I hope so too. I'm getting sick of hot water and expired coffee grounds. No offense to Otis or Tucker, but I miss Starbucks."

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Girl, don't even get me started. I would literally kill someone for a latte right now." She paused, realizing the snapback she was wearing was the Boston hat Seth had given to Sasha for her birthday. "That's my hat."

Liv shrugged. "I know. I hope it's ok if I wear it."

"It does look nice on you, Liv," Sasha confirmed. "Yeah, you can wear it. Just don't lose it, ok?"

Liv shook her head wildly. "No way! I'm not letting this hat out of my sight!"

Sasha stood up. "Ok. I gotta go meet with The Man about a supply run we're doing later. You have fun with Dana, ok?"

"Well, not too much fun," Liv cooed, stuffing her hands in the back pockets of Sasha's jeans. "That's only for you, right?"

Sasha rolled her eyes, bringing out a chuckle from Liv. "That one time, yes. I told you already, I'm waiting for Seth."

"Well, I'll see you tonight if the feeling gets unbearable again," Liv pecked Sasha on the cheek and skipped from the room.

Sasha took a deep breath and followed the hallway to the door that led to The Man's office.

* * *

The Man's office consisted of every trusted member of her circle. Spread across her desk was a map of the county she oftentimes referred to when laying out a plan. All across the massive map were red circles, red lines, or giant red X's. The Man explained the X's meant dead zones that are no longer useful to them. Red lines indicated where respected borders were between communities. The circles were often times "hot spots" that had the supplies The Man's community needed badly.

"Medicine and water," The Man told the others, pointing at the biggest circle on the map. "We have thirty-two people in this bunker. Food and ammo are no issue. Stamford hasn't sent us any of the Devil's rejects in a while and I'm thankful for that. However, the one thing we can never find enough of is antibiotics and water. That's always our number one priority. This abandoned hospital used to be a military outpost until it was shelled to kingdom come by enemy forces. Word on the street is it's too unstable for anyone in their right mind to actually try and loot the place because the entire building might come down at a moment's notice. Lucky for us, I know you're all crazy enough to try it."

"Nikki wants to play! Nikki wants to play!" The crazed member of the circle cackled from her corner of the room.

Ambrose tapped the map. "What are the odds we run into another group? Are people really that afraid of the thing coming down that they won't try anything?"

The Man nodded. "The Bellas told me, before Nikki went insane after Brie died, that they tried. They lost fifteen men when one of the floors collapsed underneath them. Too many bodies were their first mistake. There are six of us. I'm only bringing the six of us. Candace's leg has finally healed. This will be her first time in the field in a while. But she's nimble and quick. So is Johnny and Ricochet. I would send just the three of them out, but none of them can defend themselves with a gun."

Candace stepped in. "I've been practicing-"

"Shut. Up." The Man shot back coldly, her gaze not leaving the map. "Any questions?" No one said anything. "Good. We leave in an hour. Just in case this is the last time you see the inside of the bunker, say goodbye to your loved ones. If you have any. Sorry, Ambrose."

Ambrose shot Sasha a knowing look. Sasha rolled her eyes and shook her head.

With the others, except Queen Charlotte and The Man, Sasha left the office. Her agenda was to spend a little time with Roman and Bayley before she took off. The story about the old hospital didn't scare Sasha as much as The Man probably wanted, but she wasn't going to take the chance in case something else happened to take her life.

"You think this shit's as crazy as The Man says?" Johnny asked from behind Sasha.

"I don't know. I'm not exactly ready to die for everyone here," Candace replied.

Sasha stopped walking. "Hey," she said to both Johnny and Candace. "The odds of us making it back are pretty big. How bad can it really be?"

Candace scoffed. "Was I speaking to you?"

The apparently offended blonde shook her head and stormed away.

"Don't worry about her," Johnny told Sasha. "She's mostly worried about me. She thinks I'm going to do something stupid and get myself killed one of these days."

"I don't get why she doesn't like me," Sasha said. "It feels like I just pissed her off one day for no reason."

"She's mostly mad you got on The Man's good side so quickly," Johnny pointed out. "It took me a few days. It took Candace a few months before The Man let her do anything. I actually had to put in a good word over and over. Then you came along and she thought you were replacing her."

"But I'm not," Sasha explained. "I'm just trying to keep my worth and do my part."

"I know, and I'm trying to get that through to Candace," Johnny said. "It'll take some more time, but she'll come around. It happens."

Johnny offered a pat on the shoulder and continued on after his wife. Ambrose and Nikki were coming down the hall next. Nikki seemed to be lucid, chatting with Ambrose as they made their way to the main hall.

"All good?" Sasha asked.

"I'm a little nervous, but otherwise excited," Nikki stated. "I think we will do ok. Just nothing too... Uh... Shite, I'm sorry you have to see this, love."

Sasha wanted to ask for clarification, but Nikki suddenly slapped herself in the face and cackled maniacally.

"Ah, there she is," Ambrose said. "Are you ready for the raid later, Nikki?"

"Nikki find! Nikki seek! Hide and seek with Nikki!" The crazed woman giggled, pulling at her hair with both hands.

"Jesus," Sasha muttered.

"Naw, he ain't got nothin' to do with what's going on around here," Ambrose replied. "Anyway, I got a five-foot secretary to "Bill Clinton" so I'll see you later."

Ambrose hooked his arm. Nikki, still muttering to herself under her breath, looped a hand through Ambrose's arm and followed him down the hall.

Ricochet, the one person Sasha had been wanting to speak to, wasn't coming down the hall. Figuring he took the scenic route, Sasha continued her pathway to the main room.

* * *

"Yahtzee!" Bayley exclaimed with so much volume and excitement that other people around the room turned to look in her direction.

"You can't be so loud, alofa," Roman reminded his wife. "People are working. Remember?"

Bayley nodded. "I know. But I finally got a Yahtzee! I'm finally beating you two cheaters!"

"How do you even cheat at this game?" Sasha asked with a laugh.

For the remainder of free time she had left before the raid, Sasha decided to play a board game with Roman and Bayley. Thankfully, they were mostly focused on the game and hadn't really talked about much that had been going on. The only thing on Sasha's mind at the moment was the possibility of not coming back, but she worried it would affect Bayley to the point it would put stress on her baby. How the young woman was even still with child after everything baffled Sasha's mind.

"Can you see if they have any chicken tenders there?" Bayley asked with a bright smile, referring to the scavenging mission Sasha would soon be on. "I have been craving chicken like crazy recently. I think it's the baby that's making me so hungry."

Roman slid his hand over the slight bump in Bayley's midsection that seemed to grow bigger as the days went by. Bayley giggled and held her husband's hand against her stomach.

"I'll see if I can, hun," Sasha promised. "If not, then we'll just have to keep looking."

Bayley giggled. "Ok. Otis showed me how to cook cajun chicken. I never knew what that was like. It's freaking amazing though!"

Just as Bayley said that Sasha spotted Otis peeking out from the kitchen window. The short man grunted then disappeared into the kitchen.

It was Sasha's turn to roll the dice. Before she could take her turn, however, The Man and Queen Charlotte arrived into the great hall.

"Aww man!" Bayley whined. "Why do you have to go? Can't you stay here and play with us?"

Sasha wrapped her arms snuggly around Bayley's shoulders. "I'll play when I get back, ok? Make sure you save my turn for later."

Bayley reluctantly agreed and said goodbye. Sasha offered a hug to Roman as well, which he accepted.

Johnny and Candice were waiting near The Man's reserved table. Ambrose stepped out of Miss Bliss' office, his hair a frizzled mess and a crooked grin spread across his face. Sasha hadn't seen Nikki until she spotted the manic woman crouched below The Man's table. Ricochet was the last to arrive on the scene. He seemed as normal as could be, but Sasha still wondered what was going on when he didn't come talk to her like he usually did.

Ambrose strapped a knife harness to Sasha's leg like always. Sasha secured a backpack around her shoulders.

"Locked and loaded," Ambrose stated.

Sasha spotted Liv standing with the others. Sasha blew the girl a kiss, which in turn made Liv roll her eyes to try and hide her reddening cheeks.

"Sorry if I've been acting weird," Ricochet commented, joining Sasha by her side. "I haven't been feeling great these last few days."

"I was. I thought you were mad at me or something," Sasha chuckled.

Ricochet shook his head. "No, that's not it. I'm just worried about this place in the long run. I know The Man is looking out for us, so I think I just need to learn to chill out a little."

The Man kissed her wife goodbye, which was the signal that they were leaving for the next few hours. A three-mile walk lie ahead of the small group of trusted allies, but they were all ready to make it worthwhile.


	13. Chapter 13

The shadow the old hospital cast in the winter sunlight was as fear-inducing as it was structurally unsound. The highest floors seemed to sway whenever the wind shifted. Just looking at the thing made not too hard to believe that dozens of people died trying to scavenge this thing for whatever could be useful.

"Hey, she's a beaut," Ambrose called out in a bad Australian accent. "Real solid legs and-"

The Man abruptly cut in. "Ambrose, I will not hesitate to slice your throat!"

The Luitenant chuckled. "Sorry, boss," he spoke in his normal tone of voice.

The small group of people stepped through the double doors on the ground floor. A lot of it was shelled to kingdom come by whatever forces were fighting here. Judging by the charcoaled skeletons lying around the floor, it was once used as an infirmary or people were disposed of here.

Sasha followed behind Ricochet and Johnny. Dean split off with Nikki, while The Man searched the lower levels by herself.

Ricochet climbed over a pile of rubble to get to the second floor. Johnny hoisted himself up and the two helped Sasha find her footing and lifted her to join them.

"The Man says there isn't much left on the second floor," Johnny said out loud, looking straight up through the ceiling onto the next floor. "Should we risk climbing higher?"

Richochet shook his head. "I don't know. I wanna say that's where the good stuff is because that's where I would put it. But at the same time, we could just be risking our necks for no reason."

Johnny looked at Sasha. "What do you think?"

Sasha looked around at the crumbling building. An old printer suddenly fell through the floor to the outside. The Man, Ambrose, and Nikki all yelled to tell the others they were fine. Sasha knew the risk/reward factor into climbing higher was most likely not going to pay off, but there was always going to be that "what if?" factor.

"Higher," Sasha said with a slow nod. "I would keep the good shit where it's harder to reach too. Plus, we can't just assume there's nothing there."

Johnny nodded. "Great. So we climb."

For the most part, the trio just climbed up a few flights of stairs. When they reached the fifth floor, they found the door jammed. Ricochet had to shimmy along a narrow ledge that went outside of the building just to pull himself into another part of the floor. Sasha's stomach did a somersault when Ricochet slipped, but the ever nimble human dove into a broken window to save himself.

After a few seconds, Ricochet popped open the door. Johnny and Sasha, being ever mindful of the holes in the floor, searched each room, as did Ricochet.

"Find anything?" Ricochet yelled down the hall.

Sasha opened a few lockers in what seemed to be an old nurse's locker room that was being used to store weapons and ammo. Nothing was left except a few empty boxes of bullets and a heavily damaged handgun.

The next room over was an office. Sasha's heart skipped a few beats when, not paying attention for a moment, saw the entire back wall was gone and only a five-story drop awaited her if she walked too far.

"Anything?" Johnny asked, stepping into the room behind Sasha.

Sasha gestured at a locker. "I'll try there."

Carefully, as any misstep would likely send her plummeting to her doom, Sasha shuffled across the room to the stand-alone locker. Trying the handle, she was surprised to find it open.

"Holy shit!" Sasha exclaimed.

"What?" Johnny asked, tiptoeing behind Sasha.

"Lots of meds and water," Sasha revealed, stashing the treasures in her bag.

Johnny and Sasha stuffed as much of the supplies into the knapsacks as possible. Ricochet came by and put the remaining items in his bag.

"I think we did ok for today," Ricochet said.

No sooner than when he stopped talking, the floor underneath them shifted. Ricochet jumped back into the hallway. The floor suddenly started to crumble. Johnny shoved Sasha to safety and threw his backpack away from the opening hole, but Johnny wasn't quick enough to save himself.

Sasha and Ricochet yelled out in horror as Johnny suddenly disappeared in a cloud of ash and rubble.

"What the fuck?!" Ricochet flew back to the stairs, taking them two at a time, and ran to the room underneath where he just was. Sasha peeked over the edge. As soon as the dust settled, her chest tightened. There was nothing under their floor; Just a straight drop to the concrete below.

"FUCK!" Ricochet screamed. "FUCK! GODDAMMIT!"

Sasha covered her face and backpedaled quickly from the ledge. Crying through her fingers, Sasha didn't dare move in the fear that she would join Johnny in a deadly plummet to the cement.

"Sasha?" Ricochet called from underneath her. "Grab Johnny's stuff. We better get the hell out of here."

Sasha, her whimpers and tears flowing from her heavily, picked up Johnny's abandoned backpack and hurried back to the ground floor.

In the lobby, The Man was waiting for everyone to regroup. The first ones back were Ricochet and Sasha.

"Where's Johnny?" The Man demanded.

"He fell," Ricochet told. "He got a bunch of supplies and the floor gave out under him. He died saving Sasha."

The Man looked at Sasha for confirmation, but the other girl's weepy eyes and sobs were enough proof that what Ricochet had said was true.

"Fuck!" The Man cursed. "Where the hell are the other two?"

"Uh, sir?" Ambrose called out, rounding the corner. "We got armor coming up from the South."

"Which side?" The Man asked.

"It doesn't matter," Ambrose explained. "They catch us scavenging, they'll have us executed."

The Man nodded. "Let's head back now. We've got a lot of shit to sort out now."

Ambrose noticed they were down a man. "Where's Johnny?"

"Dead," The Man replied flatly, leading what was left of her group back the way they came.


End file.
